First-place finisher Dan Van Deusen ’11. (photo by Justin Tzou ’10)
Hundreds of spectators in Spaulding Auditorium voted Dan Van Deusen ’11, Kevin Oh ’12, and Jamie Hwang ’10 the top three finishers in 2010 Dartmouth Idol. The show included a surprise appearance by President Jim Yong Kim during the Michael Jackson tribute (see video below).
In addition to receiving a $500 prize, first place finisher Van Deusen will have the opportunity to produce a demo cd with Cunningham. Cds for the 2008 winner Liz Vaughan ’08 and 2009 champ Michael Odokara-Okigbo ’12 were available for sale at this year’s show. Learn more about the contestants and finalists in the 2010 program (296k pdf) for the March 5 event.
Second-place finisher Kevin Oh ’12. (photo by Justin Tzou ’10)
The third annual singing contest was co-produced and directed by Walt Cunningham, who also directs the Dartmouth College Gospel Choir.
Cunningham’s latest compilation cd of Christian and gospel music, Walt Cunningham Presents All God’s Children Vol. 1, was released on March 9. The cd features three songs by the Dartmouth College Gospel Choir, as well as performances by Ikechi Ogbonna ’06, David Jiles ’06, Jonathan Beach ’07, Michele Smith ’08, Anike Adekoya ’08, Louisa Thompson ’08, and Khadijah Bermiss ’08, who wrote her own material. With Cunningham’s production assistance Bermiss also recorded a solo CD, which will be released this spring.
Third-place finisher Jamie Hwang ’10. (photo by Justin Tzou ’10)
“My new CD is a celebration of inspiring music,” Cunningham says of his follow-up to 2007’s I Feel the Spirit. “It includes the Dartmouth Gospel Choir’s stirring rendition of ‘America the Beautiful,’ which everyone always inquires about, and it’s got an a cappella version of ‘Amazing Grace’ that people also always ask for. But it also has our trademark song ‘When all God’s Children Get Together (What a Time),’ which is the song that really signifies what this group stands for.”
Learn more about Dartmouth Idol.