“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” –Hillel
By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — If you want to break into showbiz, you have to put yourself out there. You have to stand before judges and audiences with poise and confidence even though your insides are churning with nervous insecurity. That was the challenge faced by the contenders of Campus Super Star sponsored by San Diego’s Hillel, an organization for Jewish college students.
Over seventy students from 11 colleges and universities auditioned for a panel of six judges. These were narrowed down to the top ten finalists who performed Sunday night at the Jacobs Lecture Hall in Mira Mesa. Under the deft musical direction of Chris O’Bryon, the contestants chose their genres and songs. The judges narrowed it down to the top three finalists and the audience chose the winner of the $5,000 prize.
Emceed by our Jewish community’s CBS News 8 reporter, Dan Cohen, they got the ball rolling with “Fever.” Each singer got a mini-solo as a kind of appetizer to the 10-course banquet to come.
The first course was some old-school R&B served with boyish charm and a toothy smile as Ala Tiatia of Mira Costa College did a mash-up of “Sir Duke” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
Then Lisa Parente of SDSU elevated our souls with her beatific, crystal clear soprano in “This is My Belovéd” from Kismet.
Jack Adkins of Grossmont College, an old soul who loves vintage cars and Sinatra, was puppy-love adorable singing “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady.
Powerhouse Rachel Rothman of SDSU gave me chills with her amazing set of pipes. She displayed an impressive vocal and emotional range, revealing the nervous, insecure auditionee’s internal monologue in the verbally challenging “Climbing Uphill” from The Last Five Years.
Matt Gibson of SDSU got the ladies fanning themselves, delivering “Feelin’ Good” with his lady-killer smile.
Jazmine Rogers of Mira Costa College owned the house with a very energetic “How Will I Know” like a young Whitney Houston. Of the lot, she was the most connected with the audience, getting us to clap and sing along.
Jack French of Pt. Loma Nazarene has a surprisingly deep and resonant voice for such a slender young man. He displayed powerful emotional expression with sensitivity and a bad-boy twinkle in his eye in “If I Loved You” from Carousel.
Reanne Acasio of UCSD enveloped us with a tearful broken heart and naked emotional honesty in “With You” from Ghost. An Air-Force brat and child of Filipino immigrants, she well understands the loss of those left behind.
Dakota Ringer of SDSU charmed us as a huggable, wide-eyed boy-next-door with “Someone to Fall Back On.”
Finally, Alexandra Lee of UCSD came out swinging in a powerful display of stage presence and vocal range with some sexy badass blues in “Mama Knows Best.”
After each performance, one of the judges gave some feedback to the contenders. A repeated theme was “You do you better than anyone else. So don’t try to be someone else. Just be you.” Maybe that’s what Hillel meant in his famous axiom.
The top three finalists chosen by the judges were Jazmine Rogers, Rachel Rothman and Jack French. And the winner chosen by audience vote was … [cue drumroll] … Jazmine Rogers! And she promised to use her prize money to send her parents on a well-deserved trip.
Campus Super Star was a delightful night out. But more than that, it was a demonstration of dedication, joy and passion. We can’t all be superstars, but we all shine brightest when we shine as ourselves.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below must be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the U.S.)