Singing Their Way To Citi Stardom
By KAITLYN KILMETIS
Switch a sunny Los Angeles setting with Queens’ hometown stadium and replace Ryan Seacrest with a bubbly, baseball-headed mascot and you have Mets Idol – the borough pride’s annual Anthem Search.Beginning late Sunday night, a line of more than a 150 hopefuls long snaked around Citi Field’s entrance filled with aspiring singers seeking a chance to try out to sing the National Anthem at a Mets game this season. After hours of anticipation, on Monday morning the potential pre-game performers were given the chance to belt out their best tries.
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| The line of singing hopefuls was cheered on by Mr. Met while inside (above) contestants waited their turn to wow the judges. |
Contestants were invited to sing a short selection of their choice a capella – excluding the National Anthem. Song selections were as varied as the contestants themselves, who traversed a wide range of ages, races and experience levels.
A number of children took the stage, like Staten Island resident Albert Cardone, who played the keyboard for the judges. Cardone said he wasn’t nervous at all; after playing the National Anthem for the Staten Island Yankees for the past two years, the 8-year-old is an old pro.
Long Islander Brooke Demetri, 11, expressed excitement about the prospect she may get to sing for her favorite team.
“It would mean a lot to me and my brother because we are huge Mets fans,” she said.
Bayside resident Angela Candela, a college student on spring break from Catholic University, agreed the opportunity to sing for the Mets would be incredible.
“It would be awesome,” she exclaimed. “What can you actually said about it, honestly? It would be really cool. My parents would probably tell everybody we knew.”
Candela, who is trained as an opera singer, shook things up in the audition room by going with a traditional opera selection.
“My dad said, ‘Give them something else to listen to. Clean their ears out,’ so I thought why not?” she said. “I went in, did my thing and you never know.”
Melissa Goscinski, a 19-year-old from Whitestone, said once she heard about the competition she knew she had to audition.
“It’s just another opportunity,” she said. “I’m trying to make it into the business. I heard about this and I had to do it. I’m a big Mets fan.”
The singer is no stranger to contests – she won an opportunity to sing with Jennifer Hudson on the Today Show. After her hand at the mic, Goscinski reflected on the importance of the opportunity for a borough local.
“You’re there,” she said. “You see the Mets. What a lovely thing to do and they’re such a big part of Queens.”
On Wednesday, 30 people were informed they had advanced to the next round of the competition. In coming weeks, the remaining contestants will be judged on their rendition of the National Anthem, which they will be asked to perform from the pitcher’s mound at Citi Field. In total, five singers will be chosen to sing the anthem at five different home games during the upcoming season.
Reach Reporter Kaitlyn Kilmetis at kkilmetis@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.