SOCAL ICON Singing Competition Back for 7th Year!

SOCAL ICON, the annual solo vocal competition for aspiring young singers between the ages of 7 and 18, is back for a seventh consecutive year!(http://socalicon.com/)

Boasting celebrity and industry judges from television, Broadway, film and recording; the annual singing contest is conducted over a three-month period beginning in June and concluding with final concert event on Saturday, September 6th.

Register online at www.socalicon.com

Originally called Inland Idol and OC Idol, SOCAL ICON was designed to be more than just a talent contest. “Our goal was always to give young singers an opportunity to showcase and get constructive feedback from educators and industry professionals in a safe and friendly environment” according to Bruce Sampson, president of ICON Performing Arts (producer of the event.) Our mission statement is “To use the performing arts to positively impact children’s lives and that of our communities!”

Several of ICON’s past finalists and winners have enjoyed professional success after the contest. They include: Xenia Martinez (top three on NBC’s “The Voice”), Arianna Afsar (top 30 on “American Idol” 2009 & Miss California 2010), and Rachel Crowe (top 10 on “The X Factor” and Nickelodeon regular). Last year’s winner in the 11-14 age division, Natalia Loya, is currently competing on Telemundo’s “La Voz Kids” and credits SOCAL ICON as giving her the start she needed. Noah Urrea, one of last year’s finalists, played the role of Bailey opposite Tyler Perry, in the Lionsgate film, A Madea Christmas. Noah performed one of his songs in the film and had it featured on the movie’s soundtrack.

There are two opportunities to audition for this year’s competition:

· June 14th – The Village at Orange – Orange, CA

· June 28th – South Coast Plaza – Costa Mesa, CA

The semifinals will take place on July 26th at The Music Hall in Orange County and the finals will take place as a red-carpet concert event on Saturday, September 6th at The Margaret A. Webb Theater in Santa Ana. Four celebrity/industry judges and the audience members will all cast votes to choose three winners (one from each age group.)

Past celebrity judges include: Cathy Rigby(Tony award winner and Olympic gymnast), Marc Cherry(creator of “Desperate Housewives”, Mark L. Walberg (host of PBS’ Antiques Road Show”), and Nia Peeples(actress, recording artists-“Fame”, “Pretty Little Liars”, “Walker, Texas Ranger”).

The three winners will each receive identical prize packages including:

1. 1 Fully-Produced, Mixed and Mastered Single with Record Producer Thomas Barsoe at The OC Hit Factory

2. A recording session with Thomas Barsoe at OC Hit Factory

3. Admission to an OC Hit Factory Songwriting Camp to collaborate with other signed artists

4. $500 credit to use towards music lessons at OC Music Hall

5. Branding Photoshoot provided by DNT Entertainment

6. Social Media Branding Package provided by DNT Entertainment

7. Electronic Press Kit provided by DNT Entertainment

8. Booking 1 Sheet provided by DNT Entertainment

9. Potential Artist Management Opportunity ( DNT & OCHF)

10. A Spot on DNT Entertainments' artist booking roster alongside signed artists and past reality singing competition finalists: http://dntagency.com/artists/

11. Trophy (ICON Performing Arts)

Singers can register online at www.socalicon.com

SO YOU WANNA BE FAMOUS?

CELEBRITIES, ENTERTAINMENT VETERANS AND LOCALS JOIN FORCES FOR INLAND IDOL 2009 Inland Idol 2009 – Solo Vocal Competition
Annual Youth Competition Ramping Up!

There are less than three weeks before the first round of qualifying auditions for Inland Idol 2009, and things are certainly heating up! Inland Idol is an annual solo vocal competition open to Southern California youth ages 7-18 and produced in The Inland Empire.
David Sidoni has just been confirmed as host for the finale. Sidoni is an actor and personality best known for his roles in TV shows such as "Roundhouse" and "Mad Libs." He also hosted "Wheel of Fortune 2000", the children's version of the popular game show. Sidoni has had roles in Disney’s "Newsies", "Beverly Hills 90210" and hosted "Bing!" and "Unfabulous."
Mark L. Walberg, host of Fox Television’s "The Moment of Truth" and PBS’s "Antique Road Show" and Kye Brackett, Emmy Award-winning choreographer for Barry Manilow's "Music and Passion" have already signed on as celebrity judges for the Inland Idol 2009 final concert event.
Patrona Productions, a Corona-based recording studio and talent development company, is partnering with WBZB Entertainment to ramp up this year’s event. Patty Cabrera, a Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning recording artist and owner of Patrona, will supply an exciting prize package for the three winners which will include: vocal coaching and development, professional
photography session and a 2-song, professionally-produced CD featuring one original song created especially for the young artist. Cabrera will also serve as a consultant and judge for the finals. The producers plan to audition roughly 2,000 youth performers from all over Southern CA during the months of March and April. The Semi-finals will take place May 2nd in Corona with the final concert event scheduled for May 31st in La Mirada. Qualifying auditions will be held at:
The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos in Corona - March 7th
The Promenade in Temecula - March 14th
The Shoppes at Chino Hills - March 28th
Up to 225 contestants will pass through from the initial auditions to the Semi-Final round of the Inland Idol 2009 competition, to be held at the Historic Civic Center Theater in Corona on May 2, 2009. Each age group will compete separately in a four hour Semi-Final event.
30 Finalists selected from the semi-final event will compete in an exciting concert finale to be judged by celebrities and entertainment industry veterans on Sunday, May 31st at the 1,200 seat La Mirada Performing Arts Center. One winner from each age division will be selected and awarded a trophy and an exciting prize package. The final concert event will also feature performances by all three Inland Idol 2008 winners (Selena Brills, Landon Longard and Emily Yates) and THE MIX, WBZB’s dynamic youth performance group.
Audition spots are limited to 200 kids per age group at each qualifying audition. Contestants must register online at www.InlandIdol.com . There is a $35 registration and processing fee per contestant.
This year’s Inland Idol promises to be bigger and better than ever! Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this amazing event! Proceeds from the event will benefit WBZB’s Arts Reach initiatives. For more information, visit www.wbzb.net