MTHS’s staple event, Terrace Idol, again brought in singers and musicians from three high schools to compete in terms of their rhythm, stage presence and most of all, their voices. The first round of the tenth annual Terrace Idol took place Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in the MTHS theater.

The three judges for the night were Kevin Douglass, who has studied music for a number of years, Meg Stecker-Thorsen, a professional symphony orchestra and opera performer, and Susan Dolacky, who has a Master of Music degree.

After performances from all 20 contestants, judges chose the best 10 to advance to the next round.

MTHS students who advanced to the next round include Maddy Caiola, Kyle Henderson, Rackeb Kelemu, Praditha Halstad, Liliana Reid and Kyle Llarenas. From Lynwood High School (LHS), Ben Youn and Alyssa Tran made it through, and from Edmonds Woodway High School (EWHS), Rodney Ocfemia and Roseanne Gamboa will take the stage again next round.

The first to take the stage and the first to make it through was junior Maddy Caiola, who sang a soft and emotional song, “When We Were Young.” The judges commented on how well she displayed her emotions through the song. This is Caiola’s third year competing in Terrace Idol.

Also from MTHS, senior Kyle Henderson sang “Sante Fe.” His drama background helped him put on a strong performance that was received very well by the audience. The judges enjoyed the song but remarked that he could’ve made better use of the stage and looked a little stuck in place.

LHS senior Ben Youn was the sixth contestant, and sang “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” while playing acoustic guitar simultaneously. The judges were impressed with how well he accompanied himself and tied the whole performance together, singing and all.

Freshman Rackeb Kelemu from MTHS sang “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran and was praised in the most part by the judges, only being criticized over stage presence.

LHS senior Alyssa Tran sang “If You Ever Want to be in Love” by James Bay. She accompanied herself with acoustic guitar and played it skillfully throughout the song, but the judges warned for her as well as others not to let the instrument take over the performance too much.

Junior Angel Garcia was an instant fan favorite and chose to sing “Not About Angels.” It was remarked that she could use more breath in her song, but either way still had an “angelic” voice, as said by Douglass. This is also Garcia’s third year competing in Terrace Idol.

Freshman Praditha Halstad performed “Stay with Me” by Sam Smith. She was accompanied by way of acoustic guitar and got significant audience reactions during her performance. She received high praise from Douglass and overall did an excellent job as far as the judges were concerned.

EWHS sophomore Rodney Ocfemia, another returning Terrace Idol performer, sang “Stitches” while playing acoustic guitar and being accompanied by a fellow box drum player, which added a nice bass element to the song.

Junior Lilliana Reid from MTHS sang “Stay” by Rihanna. The judges felt that she did a beautiful job, but was told she could let some parts of the performance grow more.

EWHS junior Roseanne Gamboa from EWHS performed “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé; she also accompanied herself with acoustic guitar. The applause for her was vast, and the judges were receptive of how well she brought everyone into her song and story.

The finishing act was taken by senior Kyle Llarenas who sang “Don’t” by Bryson Tiller. It was easily apparent from the screams and applause that he was the most popular performer of the night. His interaction with the crowd during the performance really got everyone going, and the judges liked how much fun he had with the song.

The entire night provided over two whole hours of student musical performances. There were also many other good performances throughout the night that didn’t make it through, including EWHS junior Anna Kivlen’s rendition of “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith, to the emotional “In the Arms of the Angel” performed by freshman Hope Beeler.

Entertainment during the wait for the announcement of the winners was provided by a few members of the MTHS theatre sports team, and the theater technicians kept the show running smoothly the entire time.

Round two of Terrace Idol is next Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5.