In front of a packed Alumni Hall, the contestants, representing all class years and a range of musical backgrounds, competed for a spot as one of the six finalists. According to director of Hopkins Center ensembles and "Idol" co-producer Joshua Kol, the six finalists are Dan Van Deusen '11, Katie Horner '11, Jamie Hwang '10, Kevin Oh '12, Andrew Purpura '11 and Michael Tree '13.
This year's "Idol" competition comprises three rounds of elimination. Open auditions were held on Jan. 30. The semifinals took place Tuesday night and the finals are scheduled for March 5 in Spaulding Auditorium.
Semifinalists auditioned for and were selected by a panel of judges including Kol and his co-producer, Dartmouth College Gospel Choir director Walter Cunningham.
"The competition was crazy. We had a hard time narrowing it down to 18," Cunningham said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
In fact, Cunningham said he had only planned on accepting 16 semifinalists, as was the case in previous years. He added that he would have been happy to take 12 more.
The larger number of semifinalists is just one testament to the competition's transformation from Hop brainchild to campus-wide phenomenon. Since its inception, "Idol" has seen increased popularity among singers and audience members alike.
Because of the expanded number of semifinalists, songs were shortened from their full length to two- to three-minute pieces another aspect of "Idol" that has changed from previous years.
Dartmouth Television also covered the semifinals for the first time. Although the date of the telecast has not been announced, DTV will make the two and a half hour show for those who were unable to attend the event.
Because the competition prizes musical talent as much as stage presence, semifinalists were judged on vocal ability, musicality and performance, according to the Dartmouth Idol web site.
Three student judges presided over the semifinals. Amber Dewey '12 and Harmony Gbe '10 were joined by 2009 "Idol" winner Michael Odokara-Okigbo '12. According to Odokara-Okigbo, his switch from contestant to judge, while enjoyable, was nerve-wracking.
"It's such a great experience," Odokara-Okigbo said. "Hearing all these great people, it's hard to make constructive criticism."
Cunningham opened the show by welcoming audience members and explaining the mission of "Idol."
Through "Idol," Cunningham said, "different entities" are brought together "to explore each others' differences."
This year's group of semifinalists represent a wide range of campus organizations, including several a cappella groups, Gospel Choir and even the football team. The diverse interests of the group were reflected in the variety of musical genres included in the show.
According to several performers, semifinalists were presented with a list of over 600 songs from which they could make their selection. Students performed the songs in karaoke style.
Nathaniel Graves '13 kicked off the "Idol" semifinals with a rendition of "Closer" by NeYo. Other performers performed songs by artists such as U2, Kansas, Amy Winehouse and Justin Timberlake.
Finalists were selected based on a combination of judge and audience votes. Audience members were presented with ballots and asked to select their top four choices, while the judges selected their top six.
The votes were then tabulated and converted to scores using a predetermined formula.
When asked to comment on the various performances, Cunningham reiterated the sentiments of the judges, saying that the individual talent and breadth of song selection made it difficult to choose.
"Different people shined in different ways," Cunningham said.
Purpura, who is also a member of the Dodecaphonics, performed "We Cry" by The Script.
"It's got a hip-hop type rap sort of feel which is something I'm really comfortable with," Purpura said of his selection.
During the show, the judges commented that he made a difficult, fast-paced song seem effortless.
Hwang, another finalist and a member of X.ado, chose "Nobody Knows" by Pink. The judges praised her performance for its control, original riffs and powerful mood switches. This year marks Hwang's third year participating in "Idol." She placed third in last year's competition.
"It's a rush. I get incredibly nervous before, but once you're up there you forget about everything," Hwang said.
Tree also had a memorable performance that earned him a spot in the finals. He closed the "Idol" semifinals with a crowd-pleasing rendition of "Senorita" by Justin Timberlake.
With the finalists chosen, the Dartmouth community can expect an exciting final performance. The "Idol" finale will consist of group performances, solos and a range of musical genres.
Finalists will compete for a $500 prize and the opportunity to record a three-song demo. The runner-up will receive a $250 prize, while the third place winner will be awarded $100.
"Expect a program that at one minute is going to be rocking you, the next minute we're going to go ahead and tear jerk you, and the next minute we're going to take you back vintage," Cunningham said.
With the promise of jazz, hip-hop, R&B and '50s throwbacks, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
In keeping with a bigger and more exciting "Idol" competition, the final promises to be as entertaining as the semifinals.
