'Pops' Idol
The Boston Pops hosts a contest to pick an amateur vocalist for their Fourth of July gala concert.
Kathy Porter first heard the news from one of her sisters: The Boston Pops Orchestra would conduct a talent search for amateur singers. The sister was convinced that Ms. Porter, who recently became a grandmother, had the vocal chops to win the prize: Singing with the Boston Pops - on national television - at its Fourth of July concert on the Charles River Esplanade.
But Porter, who admits to loving the spotlight, demurred. After all, she'd taken up singing lessons late in life. And though Porter had blossomed into a sassy singer who sashays into the audience, microphone in hand, during weekend gigs at weddings, she felt too old to enter POPSearch 2004. In the end it was Porter's pianist - who had already promised to play for another Pops hopeful - who decided the matter. "She said, 'Well, we're going, you're coming with us, and I'm playing for you,' " recalls Porter.
Four days after her audition at Symphony Hall, Porter received a phone call. Her rendition of "Maybe This Time" from "Cabaret" had trumped hundreds of other applicants. She had made the first cut.
The idea for POPSearch came as a "response to certain cultural leanings," says conductor Keith Lockhart. That's code for the smash success of Fox TV's "American Idol."
Only this time, there would be no snide judges like Simon Cowell. No (ear-wax-melting) vocals by "Idol" pariah William Hung. And no age limit; POPSearch welcomes anyone over 18 without an agent.
Like every talent search, the Pops contest promises wish-fulfillment - the idea that a talented person with no showbiz connections can "make it big."
It also resonates that the Pops, which calls itself "America's Orchestra," would use a fundamentally democratic process to find a singer to fill out its July 4 roster. And the Pops is certainly banking on the contest's excitement to appeal to younger audiences.
People feel a sense of ownership about this orchestra, says Mr. Lockhart. "People who sing in the shower never think, 'Gee, I'd really like to sing with the Cleveland Orchestra.' But the Boston Pops is kind of their band."
That devotion - and the lure of fame - brought more than 700 people to the open auditions in early June. To win, a contestant must survive three rounds of auditions, which would narrow the field to a trio of finalists. The three would each perform with the orchestra at Symphony Hall before a voting audience.
It's the first day of auditions, and a line one block long has formed on the sidewalk in front of Symphony Hall. Several contestants have brought deck chairs. The wait is several hours to get inside, where each will sing a two-minute solo. As the sun heats up, umbrellas come out for shade.
Henry Gauthier, a point-guard-sized African-American from New Hampshire, plans to sing "God Bless This Child" when his turn comes. In the meantime, he's chatting to the other hopefuls and listening to bits of their audition pieces.
"There's a few good singers out here, and there's a few singers who are in the wrong line," he says with a laugh.
The diversity of singers matches what you would find in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles: lawyers, teachers, retirees, students, police officers, a construction worker - even a jail warden. Some have traveled from as far as Chicago.
The level of talent is just as varied. Some people have training and clear career potential. Some singers would do well at a Karaoke night. And the rest are mezza mezza rather than mezzo-soprano.
