BergenPAC to Present ENGLEWOOD IDOL, 1/26

"American Idol" watch out! Young starlets from Englewood, NJ will dazzle a bergenPAC audience with their musical talents on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at the 7th Annual "Englewood Idol," a fundraising event for the Dr. John Grieco Scholarship Fund.

Englewood Idol brings together Englewood students from four area high schools: The Dwight-Englewood School (DE), Dwight Morrow High School (DM), the Academies @ Englewood (AE), and Bergen Catholic High School (BC). The annual event will be held at 7:00 pm at Englewood's illustrious bergenPAC. Englewood Idol will also feature "Englewood's Best Dance Crew," a competition between dance teams at Englewood's three high schools. 

Auditions for Englewood Idol were open to any high school student living in, or attending school in, Englewood, NJ. More than 30 students auditioned and twelve talented semi-finalists were selected, including up and coming actress Heather Braverman of The Dwight-Englewood School. Heather has made several appearances on national television, including roles on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: SVU,One Life to Live, Guiding Light and numerous commercials.

What began seven years ago as a project aimed to bridge the gap between schools in the area and to build a stronger sense of community has catapulted into a major event in Bergen County. Contestants this year will be judged by two all-star judges: Ken "Duro" Ifill, the CEO of Desert Storm Records and a six-time Grammy Award-winning mix engineer; and singer, songwriter and musician Annie Minogue. Minogue's music has enjoyed some substantial media time, being featured on film, TV and radio: MTV's Real World , Dawson's Creek and Q104.3 FM & 93.3FM in New York (Featured Artist). Joining them will beAlexander Diaz, bergenPAC's Director of Arts Education and Outreach.

"This event has become a great way for performing arts students and staff to get to know and trust each other. It seems like every year the show gets bigger," says Producer Judy Aronson, who is thrilled to see so many people from these schools working together. This year's first place winner of the Englewood Idol competition will be granted an all-day recording session at NV Recording Studio in Fort Lee, 2nd place will receive professional head shots at Studio 6 photography, and 3rd place will receive vocal lessons from O. Dibella music in Bergenfield, New Jersey.

Corporate sponsorship for this event has been critically important to the success of this year's Englewood Idol show: Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, along with PNC Bank, Mindy Gold Designs, TD Bank, 25 Park, NVE Bank, bergenPAC, and the event's sole media sponsor, The Suburbanite, have all committed generous support to the Dr. John Grieco Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity run by Englewood public school students.

Tickets to Englewood Idol can be purchased in the main offices of Dwight Morrow High School and the Academies@Englewood. Advance tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults; tickets at the door will be $10 for students and $15 for adults. Those interested in purchasing tickets, T-shirts and sweatpants or wanting to support the Dr. John Grieco Scholarship Fund can call 201-294-0725, email jaronson@epsd.org or visit their website: www.englewoodidol.com.

bergenPAC is located at 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631 For further information, please call: (201) 227-1030 or visit: www.bergenpac.org.

About Bergen Performing Arts Center: Known as The John Harms Center for 27 years, this cultural hub in Englewood, has been reborn as Bergen Performing Arts Center or bergenPAC. This 1367- seat theater, currently in its eighth season, is a landmark, and in its seventh season as bergenPAC it remains one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States. The legendary Tony Bennett and Canadian crooner k.d. lang recorded their 2003 Grammy award-winning CD live on bergenPAC's own stage through a broadband fiber-optic connection with Bennett Studios. bergenPAC is the home of a media production system that is unparalleled, upholding its reputation as a venue for outstanding music, dance and theater. As a non-profit corporation, bergenPAC has thrived thanks to the aid and generosity of sponsors, donors and patrons.

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