Holiday Karaoke Grand Finale
Thursday, December 14, 2017
From “All I Want for Christmas is You” to “Dominick the Donkey,” for the past 4 weeks, Pittsburghers with a love of holiday music and a belief in their own talents have sung their hearts out in eight preliminary rounds of the Holiday Karaoke Contest. In one spectacular grand finale on Monday, December 18 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. 9 finalists will perform two holiday songs each in a bid to become the King or Queen of Holiday Karaoke (and to become $1,000 richer!)
“We’ve heard some spectacular talents belt out beloved holiday classics; we’ve also seen energetic stage performances where the performer involved the entire audience in sing-alongs. Overall it’s been an incredibly fun addition to the Peoples Gas Holiday Market™” said Jeremy Waldrup, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “I look forward to serving as judge in the grand finale and having the opportunity to see all the finalists up their game.”
The competition saw more than 150 contestants, every Monday and Tuesday evening in the Holiday Market. Contestants were judged in four areas: Vocal Performance, Stage Presence, Audience Participation and Lyrics. Contestants have been incredibly diverse, consisting of soloists, duets and group performers ranging from everyday crooners of all ages, to actors, college students and local band members. Many contestants pre-registered to participate while others were spontaneously moved to take the stage by the holiday spirit as they walked through the Holiday Market.
A winner was chosen, along with a runner up for each preliminary round, with a photo finish tie on the final night sending two strong winners to the finals. All winners and runners up received prizes from Market Square businesses, including The Oyster House, Simple Greek, Diamond Market, Nicholas Coffee, and Primanti Brothers.
Judges have included such Pittsburgh luminaries as promoter Ed Travesari, singer Tania Grubbs, DJ and musician DJ Zombo and singer/songwriter Shelley Duff. A special surprise panel of judges will handle the duties for Monday night’s finale.
