Sherman Toh, 16, beat 2,000 contestants to be named Resonate Idol 2011.
Contributed By Nicolette Ng
Toh is Resonate Idol 2011. PHOTO: Nicolette Ng.
This year, two thousand contestants vied for the spot of the Resonate Idol 2011, an annual music competition organized by P.U.S.H. Music Records.
Started in 2008, Resonate has grown into a popular competition particularly among tertiary students. Contestants can sing, dance or play a musical instrument.
More than just showcasing performances and creating platforms for talents, the organizers aimed to create a better understanding and appreciation for music. The finalists of Resonate had their faces splashed across advertisements on SMRT trains running across the island.
This year, Sherman Toh Zhen Sheng, 16, was crowned Resonate Idol 2011. He is a City Harvest Church member from cell group N467.
With much encouragement from his family and friends about a year ago, Toh decided to go for the walk-in auditions. Toh beat out hopefuls to make it into the quarter-finals, before eventually being named one of the top five performers.
The Grand Finals was held at *SCAPE Warehouse Auditorium on Nov. 12. Present was a crowd of 300 people and four judges. The event was hosted by local comedienne and host, Abigail Chay. Chay is also the ambassador and spokesperson for Resonate.
All five finalists were strong singers; each had to perform two songs—one chosen by the judges, the other his or her own pick.
Toh brought the house down with Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father.” As his angelic voice floated over the auditorium, he won the hearts of the judges. One of the judges even commented that he was the best performer for the song. Toh was named the Resonate Idol 2011.
The crowd raved and cheered—it was an unexpected win for the teenager, a student at North Vista Secondary School. Toh won a cash prize of S$1,588, a trophy and a one-year singing contract.
“I have experienced many things through this competition, from photo shoots to media exposure,” said Toh. “I have learned singing techniques and received professional advice from the judges—all of which helped me improve greatly. This competition revealed to me God’s faithfulness. God was with me and by His grace, I managed to be crowned champion of Resonate Idol 2011.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF TMO.
The Millennial Orchestra played a successful concert last Sunday, Dec. 18 to a near-full theater in Suntec Singapore. City Harvest Church’s deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng was the guest-of-honor. The concert, “A Musical Merry Christmas” heralded the Christmas season with familiar favorites like Elgar’s Pomp And Circumstance and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. The brass, wind and percussion sections performed El Camino Real (A Latin Fantasy) by Alfred Reed and English Folk Song Suite by Sir Ralph Vaughan Williams, which drew thunderous applause. The evening’s highlight was Christmas-A Medley of Well Known Carols, an arrangement of seven traditional carols by Arthur Harris.
