The stage is set, the lights are in place and RM Idol, on Dec. 6, the annual singing competition organized by Fine Lines, is ready to captivate its audience once again. This tradition, which has gone on for more than two decades, provides a platform for students to showcase their vocal talent.
Fine Lines is a club that publishes an annual art magazine using student submissions. It has been at RM for more than four decades and has won many prestigious awards including the NSPA Pacemaker and CSPA Gold Crown.
Contestants looking to enter start by submitting video auditions. This year, a panel picked out 20 top performances to perform on show night to be judged by a three teacher panel consisting of Fine Lines sponsor Sara Liles as well as Christian Melgar and Sharon Vires.
The top three performances receive a gift card. There is also a fan choice award where audience members vote for their favorite singer, the prize being a model kit. “It’s in the beginning of the school year, and it’s definitely a good experience if you want to see if you’re interested in theater or the musical world,” Fine Lines editor-in-chief and junior Ansuya Bisbey said. “It’s your first chance to perform.”
The two MCs, seniors Johnell McConnell and Maggie Mclaughlin were heavily involved in the production, working closely with performers. “We’ve been preparing for two weeks. But we’ve been working hard, me and Maggie,” McConnell said. “We’d spend time after school, and we would really work on perfecting our script and just making sure it’s funny and everyone enjoys it.”
McConell and Maggie were chosen to be MCs after eagerly volunteering in an English class they shared with Jasmine Chen, an editor-in-chief. “I think this is a really good tradition because it brings people together and it really spotlights our really talented artists,” McConnell said. “We have at RM just such a good singing program with the Madrigals, an amazing choir and even people that just have really good voices. So I think it’s really important to highlight people and highlight their talents.”
The club works closely with Black Maskers, the theater club and the technical director Andrew Potvin to produce the show. Members of the crew help with tasks such as adjusting mics, sound, lighting and moving piano chairs.
Tech member and senior Duncan McKirgan began an internship with Mr. Potvin this year. In his seventh period, he helps out with tasks and also helps with after school clubs like Black Maskers and Band. “The internship is very good for me, I get to do it during seventh period, so we hang out and do whatever tasks there are to do,” he said. “RM Idol has lots of overlap with theater, and I do plenty of theater. So I know…tech people and plenty of the singers as well.”
Junior Binhui Jiang was responsible for the show’s lighting. When singers need specific colors and patterns for their act, the lighting team delivers. “I’m one of the people that are certified to go onto a genie and change the lights while they’re still on, and I have at least two years experience manning the spotlights,” he said.
Members are required to obtain certification from Mr. Potvin to manage lights safely, operate a Genie machine and go on a catwalk. “The reason why you have to be lighting trained is because if you are not lighting trained, it is very dangerous to be up there. But if you follow all procedures correctly, you are perfectly fine,” Jiang said.
Performers also had a rehearsal Nov. 27 to run through technical requests and get used to being on stage. For many amateur singers, like freshman John Vo, it was their first time performing on a stage. “I don’t take voice lessons because it’s more of a hobby…This is my first time actually performing on stage. I did karaoke club once or twice but this is my first real performance,” he said.
Vo performed “Cherry Wine” by Grant Perez Dec. 6. “I like the emotion and his song, like the lyrics behind the lyrics and how he expresses his voice in the songs,” he said. “For example, he progressively gets louder and louder to show how he feels after the loss of a partner.”
Sophomore Mouna Dantata was also a first-time performer at RM Idol who decided to perform the hit “Good Luck Babe,” by Chappell Roan. “I really like that most of her music is just genuinely very positive sounding and enjoyable, and it just gets you on your feet dancing,” she said. “Singing is just a very good output for emotions and creativity. And so I really enjoyed singing in my free time.”
On the other hand, junior Madeline Kline opted to sing in a foreign language, performing “Dos Soledades” by her favorite artist Julieta Venegas. “There’s just so many things you can do with the [Spanish] language you can’t do with English…The lyrics can get really interesting compared to, like English stuff, where I feel like a lot of what’s popular now is just the same stuff,” she said.
While it was her first solo voice performance, Kline has had extensive performance experience with solo piano as well as choir, as a member of Madrigals and in her fourth year of chorus. She’s also been a member of the Montgomery County Youth Choir. “I was trying to teach myself how to do [guitar] chords… for this one song,” Kline said.
RM Idol opened with a special performance by Mr. Potvin, Elliot Gilchrist and Erin Caplan, performing “Too Sweet” by Hozier. As the night progressed, the 20 different singers sang, played their instruments and told jokes, demonstrating a variety of talents.
While skill levels and musical backgrounds varied, all students shared a vibrant passion for music. Senior Mattew Lyons Bennington performed “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. “Yeah it’s weird on stage. It’s because of how bright the lights are…It’s almost like I’m in a box, and everyone is watching me, but I can’t see them. Like I’m in a room with a one way mirror, and you can’t see their faces,” he said. “I think I try to convey the message that music is is good and should be shared and enjoyed by everyone…it makes people happy and it brings people together.”
Sophomore Ambha Chandran also agreed with the otherworldly feeling of being on stage. “I chose ‘The Ballad of Jane Doe’ because it fit with my voice really well, and it was really just one of those showstopper songs that could really show off my voice,” she said. “Performing on stage is ethereal. It is an out of body experience like it’s insane. Like I feel most like myself. I just feel my most present, and then I also just love, like I just love sharing my gift.”
Sophomore Gautam Ganesh, who performed “Perfect,” by Ed Sheeran described his feeling of stage fright. “My heartbeat goes to 150, 150 plus. Especially when lights are shining down on you, it’s really hard, because you see this audience in front of you, and it’s so hard to make sure that you don’t forget anything, because you’re afraid whether the audience is going to notice,” he said. “But what I like to do is to close my eyes. So when I sing, and I’m afraid that the audience is going to see me mess up, I close my eyes.”
After both acts concluded, a raffle was held for audience members to perform karaoke as the judges made final deliberations. The RM K-Pop Club then closed the night out with a shining performance of “Drama” by Aespa.
At the end of it all, the performers came out on stage to give a final bow. Then, the MCs announced the winners. The fan choice winner was freshman Lilia Guo who performed the spirited “Santa Baby.” In third place was sophomore Ambha Chandran who performed the virtuosic Ballad of Jane Doe. In second were Alexa Thompson, Tinsaw Dessie, and Nala Ashe Moncet who gave an acapella performance of “If I Ever Fall In Love” by “Shai.”
The crowd grew silent as McConnell and McLaughlin prepared to announce the grand winner. “In first place, we have Lilia Guo!” they said to rapturous applause. Guo cupped her hands over her mouth in disbelief as she suddenly pivoted to give her friends a hug, basking in the glory of winning the approval of both the judges and the audience.
Freshman Lilia Guo has been part of musical theater for many years. At her middle school, she was the president of her drama club and has a passion for singing. “I think that songs communicate more than like actual words can…I think it furthers what you’re trying to say,” she said. “I think my best piece of advice is to have fun. I picked a song…that I knew that I liked and had energy and was memorable and fun. Just having a good time is what is really good.”
Guo was pleasantly surprised by her two wins. “I feel very, very happy. After I got the popular vote thing I figured that they probably wouldn’t do multiple awards for someone. But also, I’m just really happy for the other people that won…I’m really proud of myself. I just feel very confident,” she said. “With the prize money I’ll probably go to the mall, because my birthday is tomorrow. I just like money. I like money a lot.”
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