by Kerry Torpey on February 8, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by Patrick Fuller ’21
A&E Staff
On Friday, February 2, Providence College’s Board of Programmers (BOP) filled every single seat in McPhail’s, and then some, for PC’s version of The Voice. By the time the setup crew handed host Fr. Dominic Verner, O.P., the mic, the excited chatter of the crowd began to quiet down and the competition began.
The three judges, Ryan McSweeney ’18, Shanice DaSilva ’18, and Ryan O’Keefe ’19 uncapped their pens and turned their backs to each performer, only turning around to see the face behind the voice when they had come up with an objective score.
Prizes were given to the first, second, and third-place winners once the judges’ scores were combined. First place received an Amazon gift card and a ticket to the Galantis Spring Concert while the two runner ups each received an Amazon gift card.
To open the night, Tilly Burzynski ’19 gave a soft-spoken rendition of Birdy’s cover of “Skinny Love,” strumming her acoustic guitar throughout the song’s melancholy chorus. McSweeney connected to the performance on a personal level, commenting that he had “cried multiple times to this song in the past.”
Molly Powers ’19 followed up with a passionate, strong version of Rihanna’s “Unfaithful,” while Lauren Wilson ’19 convinced O’Keefe that Lady Gaga herself was singing “Million Reasons” in the college’s bar.
Later, Will Best ’21 stunned the judges with his raspy, nerves-ridden journey through Hozier’s “Work Song.” After, Wini Kennedy ’20 gave the audience a dose of nostalgia with Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup,” a tune which had spectators and judges alike lip-syncing the words and swaying their heads with the music.
McSweeney then told Fiona Pearlman ’20 that she destroyed Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” in a “good way,” despite being on Team Kanye. This judgement led to Pearlman placing third in the competition.
Second place was awarded to Acklynn Byamugisha ’20 who covered Khalid’s catchy “Location.” However, the highlight of the night, to judges and audience alike, was Steph Rizzo’s ‘20 near perfect replication of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”
Despite Adele’s inhuman range and ridiculous falsettos, Rizzo conquered each moment of the song with confidence and courage. All of the judges agreed that Adele is hard to live up to, no matter the level of talent or mastery one may have. Therefore, they were all impressed that Rizzo was able to tackle the song with such perfection and boldness.
In the end, Rizzo ended up walking away with an Amazon gift card, a free ticket to the Galantis Spring Concert and the champion of PC’s The Voice. It is safe to say that PC has hidden singers all around campus; even Fr. Dom was able to show off his chords at the end of the competition.