Wyandotte Residents are Finalists for 'Downriver Idol'

Wyandotte's Ellen McCartney and Dave Martin have advanced to the finalist round of the third annual

McCartney is amongst four junior-level finalists and Martin is one of three adult finalists in the contest that's sponsored by the Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra.  

McCartney is a 16-year-old high school junior who has been singing since age 7 in the Wyandotte Academy Youth Choir and Ensemble. She currently sings in the Grosse Ile High School Madrigal Choir. She also plays the violin in the Dearborn Youth Symphony and takes both piano and voice lessons.

She'll face off against Olivia Anderson of Southgate, Katie Kurilko of Trenton and Emma Rathfon of Brownstown for the title when the four perform in front of a live audience at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Flat Rock Community Auditorium, 28100 Aspen Dr.

Tickets are $5 for general admission and $10 for preferred seating and can be purchased online.

In the senior level, Martin is up against two women who also were finalists in last year's competition.

He'll face off against Jill Ryan and Lara Semetko in the adult finals, which will take place at 3 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Flat Rock Community Auditorium. The three performers will sing with the full Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra during its concert featuring the works from the Disney movie Fantasia.

Martin has been a public school vocal music teacher for 16 years and the director of choirs at Taylor's West Middle School for 14 years. He teaches 150 7th and 8th graders, including an all-male ensemble called Men in Black. He also has taught music at the DYPAC fine arts camp for many years, and is the lead singer and guitarist for several bands, including The Classics, The Bel Airs and The 120 Minute Men. He has a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University, both in music education. He is married to Jennifer and the couple has two children, Mia and Mason.

captured the Downriver Idol title last year.

(Editor's note: This story was updated to indicate that Martin is from Wyandotte. Originally, we reported that McCartney was the only finalist from Wyandotte.)