Simon, Randy and Paula aren rsquo;t here, but 12 talented Soldiers from around the world are at Fort Belvoir this week, singing their hearts out as they vie to be this year rsquo;s Military Idol.
Among those participating are two Soldiers with ties to Northern Virginia. Sgt.
Quanda Brown represents Fort Lee in the event while Spc. Vicki Golding is representing Fort Myer.
ldquo;I rsquo;m just so excited, rdquo; said Brown, a food service specialist.
ldquo;I rsquo;ve been singing all my life in church. rdquo;
Military Idol was developed as a joint effort between Army Entertainment and the American Idol franchise to provide a competitive program for active-duty military singers, explained associate producer Joey Bebee.
ldquo;Last year, the initial year, they put together the program and developed the rules, rdquo; he said.
ldquo;It was a huge success. rdquo;
The program is open to active-duty service members, Reserve and National Guard members in all branches as long as they are assigned to the installation that hosted the preliminary competition.
Twenty-nine Army installations mdash; both in the United States and abroad mdash; participated in preliminary events this year.
Judges from Army Entertain-ment, Army Television, and the Community and Family Support Center narrowed the field down to the final 12 after viewing videos of each participating installation rsquo;s winner.
ldquo;It was just a blessing to be picked, rdquo; Brown continued. ldquo;There rsquo;s so much talent in the Army.
rdquo;
On Monday, the finalists competed against each other for the first time without the benefit of musical accompaniment.
ldquo;There rsquo;s really not a lot of preparation that they can do, rdquo; continued Bebee. ldquo;They only know they are singing in the a cappella round.
rdquo;
Golding, a percussionist with the 257th Army Band of the District of Columbia rsquo;s Army National Guard, said that makes practicing even more important.
ldquo;I rsquo;m just going to sing every day to get my voice ready, rdquo; she said.
Brown, a 13-year Army veteran who participated in last year rsquo;s competition, agreed, and said she sings along with whatever is playing on the radio.
ldquo;I practice every day, rdquo; she said. ldquo;I rsquo;m working on my breath control. rdquo;
In addition to preparing for the competition, Brown is also preparing to move to Fort Polk, La.
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Golding earned her bachelor of music degree from the Queensland Conservat-orium of Music, where she majored in tuba performance. Thanks to her win at Fort Myer, Golding was invited to sing the national anthem at the Baltimore Orioles game on Sept. 11.
ldquo;It rsquo;s a little nerve-wracking, rdquo; she said of the competition, ldquo;I feel very lucky to be doing this. rdquo;
Six of the Soldiers moved on to the semi-finals following the a cappella round and three will compete in the finals. The semi-finals will be held Nov.
2 at 2 p.m. at Fort Belvoir rsquo;s Wallace Theater.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Finals will be Nov.
4 at 2 p.m. at Wallace, with doors opening at 1 p.
m. A grand finale show will take place Nov. 5 at Wallace at 1 p.
m. All shows are free and open to the public.
Music in the semi-final and final rounds is provided by the Premier Touring Band, which is attached to the U.
S. Army Field Band from Fort Meade, Md.
Other contestants include Staff Sgt.
Angelo Johnson of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Staff Sgt. Villeta Nash of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Sgt.
Randy Holmes of Schweinfurt, Germany; Sgt. Bobby Pate of Baumholder, Germany; Spec. Dave Bohoist of Fort Polk, La.
; Staff Sgt. Andre Jones of Wiesbaden, Germany; Sgt. Tony Cooper of Fort Gordon, Ga.
; Staff Sgt. Connie Bishop of Hanau, Germany; Staff Sgt. Cornelius Walker of Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Capt.
Scott Holm of Fort Lewis, Wash.
The winner of the competition will earn bragging rights and a $2,000 cash prize.
The reigning Military Idol, Sgt.
William Glenn, is currently stationed in Germany but is expected to attend this year rsquo;s event.
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