University students gathered at Pollack Theatre for Monmouth Idol last week, hosted by Phi Sigma Sigma (PhiSig), to benefit the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation.
Monmouth Idol is an annual singing competition Students can sign up to sing and perform in front of their peers and then receive feedback from the judges. Winners are then selected to receive prizes from the sorority.
Performing at this year’s event were Natalie Zeller, Kendal Adams, Alyssia Bifano, Mahalia Jackson, Anthony Accurso, Craig Zeglen, Chris Hofker, Jimmy Ernst, Kevin Meehl, Robert Sawyer, James Poricelli, Grady Jenkins, Jordan Maly, Akash Patel, Matthew Avellino, Taylor Bernstein, Brianna Merriman and Brianna Musco.
Taking third place at Monmouth Idol, winning a Michael Angelos gift card, was junior Natalie Zeller with her cover of “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore. In second place, winning Surf Taco and Scala’s gift cards, was sophomore Brianna Merriman, who performed a Rihanna mash-up. Taking home the first place title was Mahalia Jackson, a junior representing Alpha Sigma Tau (AST), with her cover of “Superwoman” by Alicia Keys. Jackson won a Ming Ying and a JR’s gift card.
Jackson had the crowd roaring, waving their hands back and forth and lighting up their phones, as well as clapping along with her to the song. She was extremely grateful to PhiSig and her friend Nicole Desarno for the opportunity to perform.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better main stage debut at Monmouth!” Jackson said. “I also couldn’t have done it without the support of my sisTAU’s. I look forward to using my talents for more causes on campus!”
Representing Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), were four new members, Craig Zeglen, Chris Hofker, Kevin Meehl and Jimmy Ernst. They performed a cover of “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. Nick Discepolo, a brother of TKE, ran through the crowd dressed as Swift, leaving the audience laughing in their seats.
Heather Kelly, the Assistant Director of Student Activities for Multicultural and Diversity Initiatives, attended the event. The hawk spirit within the crowd impressed her, as well as how supportive the audience was of the performers.
“I will tell you one thing, I will never look at Taylor Swift the same way again!” Kelly said.
New members of Phi Kappa Psi (PhiPsi) had the eyes of the crowd locked on the stage with their performance of “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias. The girls in the crowd screamed for each member as they performed their solo. The three received some Twitter shout-outs from audience members using the hashtag #MUIdol2014.
The event’s Twitter hashtag, #MUIdol2014, allowed audience members the opportunity to tweet their thoughts throughout the show. Hosts Katrina Kneer (PhiSig) and Anthony Scalamandre (Sigma Pi) read some of the tweets in between performances. The tweets ranged from “Mahalia is the one to beat tonight” (@jaay_cai) to “All the contestants are killing it tonight!” (@brandixann)
By the end of the night, Monmouth Idol raised $2,015. All proceeds directly benefited the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. The Foundation is proud to fund leadership programming, offer scholarships and educational grants, and provide resources for philanthropic and service oriented events that directly benefit PhiSig collegians and alumnae sisters. Tickets were purchased for $5 in advance and $7 at the door. The sorority will host their 10th Monmouth Idol in the fall of 2015.
“Thank you to everyone for coming out to support our event for our philanthropy,” said Maria Grace Iantosca, a senior business real estate major and president of PhiSig. “We love raising money for the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation and putting on Monmouth Idol. We’re so proud of all our contestants.”
