Senior wins Saratoga Idol

Immense applause and a standing ovation for Saratoga Idol’s newest winner, senior Esha Roy, filled the McAfee Theater on the night of March 16 at the conclusion of the annual competition.

“I’m really proud of everyone who performed at the show,” Roy said. “Almost every genre of music was covered, from country to blues to rock. That’s what the show is about: diversity.”

Roy started her night off with “Listen” by Beyonce and followed it up with “The Voice Within” by Cristina Aguilera, both of which greatly impressed the crowd and three judges.

Freshman Manini Desai and junior Katie Cummins took second and third, respectively. Desai started with “Since I’ve been Loving You” by Led Zeppelin and finished with “When I Look At You” by Miley Cyrus, playing piano as accompaniment. Cummins sang “Jump Then Fall” by Taylor Swift and “Breathing Underwater” by Marie Digby.

The show was hosted this year by juniors Alex Amato and Spencer Perry and judged by tech guru Spencer Sands, science teacher Lisa Cochrum and English teacher Erick Rector.

“I really enjoyed the show,” sophomore Shireen Kaul said. “Everyone who sang were really great and the intermission acts were very entertaining.”

Contestants were mainly compromised of upperclassmen. The four juniors who participated were Shayda Khorasani, Anshu Siripurapu, Varsha Ramesh and Cummins. The five seniors included Roy, Tim Rollinson, Dylan Teter, Patrick Mattes, and Chaz Main.

Last year’s winner senior Brandon Pierce opened for the show with “So Close” by Jon McLaughlin.

The intermission acts began with senior Aaron Rhee and junior Regina Lee who sung a duet to “By Your Side” by Tenth Avenue North. Junior Eric Wang and Pierce and sang “Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber, with senior Krista Chow on the guitar. Seniors Victor Zhang, Alana Rossip, Kaitna Shankar and Michelle Wang combined for two stunning performances to conclude the first half of the show.

In Roy’s eyes, the show was an success and nicely packaged the talents that this school has to offer.

“I hope that everyone who sang today keeps singing in the future,” Roy said. “The worst mistake you can make as a singer is to stop persevering and believing in your voice, because the best part of a singer’s show is the heart and soul they put into it.”