2 Wyandotte Girls Qualify for 'Downriver Idol'

Two Wyandotte girls are still in the running to be

Ten-year-old Katherine Fuller and 16-year-old Ellen McCartney are amongst nine junior-level semifinalists for the third annual contest sponsored by the Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra.  

Both girls now move on to the next round, which includes singing before a live audience at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3. at the Flat Rock Community Auditorium, 28100 Aspen Dr.

The top six junior-level contestants will advance to the finals, which take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10.

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

Katherine is 10 years old and in fifth grade. She's a straight A student who enjoys reading, watching movies, volunteering, playing with her friends and most of all, singing. She showed an interest in singing early on and has taken professional voice lessons for the last two years. She's a soprano and her parents said they can't remember a time when she wasn't belting out a tune. She's grown up listening to the Beatles with her dad and '70s music with her mom. She sings in the choir at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Taylor and performs with the Wyandotte Academy Youth Choir and Ensemble.

Ellen is 16 years old and is a high school junior. She began singing at 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.

The other junior division semifinalists are:

• Katie Kurilko
• Alexis Stockdale
• Christa Callahan
• Olivia Anderson
• Amanda Pagac
• Emma Rathfon
• Arianna Bardori

Event organizers praised the work of everyone who auditioned.

"All of the performers were fantastic and it was difficult to narrow down," the orchestra wrote on its Facebook page. "The judges feel great that Downriver is such a bastion for such rich vocal talent."

While captured the title last year, there are no contestants from Wyandotte in the adult division this year.

The adult semifinals also will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3. The top three or four will advance to the adult finals, which will take place at 3 p.m. Feb. 26. Those finalists will sing with the full Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra during its concert featuring the works from the Disney movie Fantasia.

The adult semifinalists are:

• Lara Semetko (a finalist last year)
• Nicole Johnson
• Jill Ryan (a finalist last year)
• Erika Johnson
• Andrea O’Dell
• Dave Martin
• George Gullen
• Scarlett Moore
• Sterling Guerra
• Pamela Jackson
• Cheyenne Paonessa
• Janette Mclenkamp