2008 Woodie Awards
Singers captivate and dazzle audiences
Genoveva Escobosa
Issue date: 5/12/04 Section: Features
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The two-hour long performance showcased the vibrant and energetic talent of 35 students who have been working non-stop since August 2003.
All the hard work paid off.
From the very first moment of the performance, when Sarah Leonard, Chelsea Nichols and Jamie Pezold walked out of the giant jukebox singing, "Music, Music, Music;" up to when Ryan Nearhoff bade farewell with, "Just One Dream," the audience was glued to their seats.
And while each and every Citrus singer did a wonderful job and performed beautifully, there were two vocalists who stood out especially.
Natalie Ramirez, joined by the Citrus College's Blue Note Swing Orchestra, was show stopping in her rendition of Bing Crosby's "That Old Black Magic." Her performance brought precious memories rushing back into the minds of the hundreds of audience members, most of who would have been teenagers when the song was first sung.
Ramirez herself was vocally perfect for Crosby's song. With her rich and sultry alto voice, she was born for the jazz song.
One could not help but feel hesitant as Cassandra Murphy and Alexis Herrera were called on stage, where they would perform "The Prayer," which was originally sung by Celine Deion and Andrea Bocceli, both of whom are world renowned vocalists. After all, what justice could two college kids do to a song of this caliber?
Although Herrera did a great job and could not have performed any more spectacular than he did, it was Murphy who had the audience in complete awe of her talent.
As soon as Murphy sang the first note, the audience was captivated.
Cassandra Murphy was beautiful, she was graceful and "seemingly angelic" --as 64 year old Rose Comstock, put it-- as bright stage lights shone from behind her, and she had a voice that literally sent chills down one's spine.
There were some great moments throughout this performance: "Dancin' Through the Decades," walked, or better yet, danced the audience through the memorable dance crazes of the era. From the Charleston from the 1930's, to Footloose of the 80's. And the "California Medley" had everyone in the theatre tapping and singing along to everything from the Beach Boys to Cyndi Lauper.
Still, it is very likely that when the entire performance was said and done with, the audience members walked away with very fond memories of Murphy's interpretation of "The Prayer."