
Palig Horoupian won the 6-8 grade solo competition singing A Million Reasons. She is a 7th grader at Orinda Intermediate School.

BiggySmalls with Camino Pablo 5th graders Colette Goodman and Vivian Welch won the K-5 Group Competition singing Diamonds.

William Tanner, a 2nd grader at Saklan, won the Grades K-2 Solo division. He sang A Million Dreams.

Aubrey Peterson and Isabelle Porcella are Treble & Bass. The duet won the 6-8th Group category with the song Favorite Crime.

Ruby Vanhouten, who will be a college freshman at NYC’s Tisch School of the Arts, won the Audience Award with her rendition of The Joke.

Mina Lim, an 11th grader at Campolindo High, won the 9-12 solo competition with her rendition of Listen.

Sleepy Hollow 4th grader Cara Impallomeni captured the 3-5th Solo award singing Rise Up.

4 O’Clock took 9-12th Group honors with its performance of Praying. The group consists of Svea Peterson (10th grader at Campolindo), Mina Lim (11th grader at Campolindo), Sadie Poole (11th grader at Las Lomas) and Jaden Maspaitella (10th grader at Acalanes).
Months of workshops, rehearsals and performances came to fruition on Aug. 14 as the Lamorinda Idol finalists took the stage at the Orinda Theatre. A total of 52 soloists/groups performed a wide range of music during the all-day event to the cheers of an appreciative
audience.
Sponsored by the Lamorinda Arts Council, Lamorinda Idol began in 2006 and is modeled after American Idol. This year, approximately 120 young people auditioned with 39 soloists and 13 groups selected as finalists.
A combination of audience and judges’ votes determined the winners with the individual contestant who received the highest percentage of audience votes, and who was not a winner in a solo category, receiving the Audience Award. The event culminated with the announcement of winners – a difficult task given the high level of talent .
“But Lamorinda Idol is much more than a competition,” said organizer Steve Harwood. “It is an opportunity for young people to pursue their passion for singing. There are coached workshops and outdoor performances in Lafayette, Orinda and Moraga. As the young people pursue their passion, they bring joy to the community.”
The winners for the 2022 Lamorinda Idol are:
K-2 Solo – William Tanner
3-5 Solo – Cara Impallomenti
6-8 Solo – Palig Horoupian
9-12 Solo – Mina Lim
K-5 Groups – BiggySmalls (Colette Goodman, Vivian Welch)
6-8 Groups – Treble & Bass (Isabelle Porcella, Aubrey Peterson)
9-12 Groups – 4 O’Clock (Svea Peterson, Mina Lim, Jaden Maspaitella, Sadie Poole)
Audience Award – Ruby Vanhouten
Students in kindergarten through 12th grade living or attending school in Contra Costa County are eligible to participate. If competing in a group category, only one member must live in Contra
Costa County.
For more information on Lamorinda Idol, go to www.orindaartscouncil.org.
Sally Hogarty can be reached at sally@theorindanews.com.