Seniors McDermott, Dean receive Spotlight award

By Kayla Samimi
Staff Writer

The Music Center, a nationally-acclaimed organization located in downtown Los Angeles, announced on Feb. 12 Costa seniors Julia McDermott and Darynn Dean as the two Spotlight winners of the Non-Classical Voice category.

The Music Center offers scholarships and classes for Southern California high school students who wish to follow a career in the arts. McDermott specializes in musical theater and is involved in the Costa Drama Department, while Dean is a singer in Costa’s Advanced Women’s Chorale.

“When I was announced as the winner, I was extremely shocked and grateful,” McDermott said. “It is such an honor to be picked for such a huge award.”

Each year, the Music Center hosts a contest known as the Spotlight program consisting of seven categories: Acting, Ballet, Non-Classical Dance, Classical Instrumental, Jazz Instrumental, Classical Voice and Non-Classical Voice.

“Spotlight provides classes and contests for Southern California high school students to acquire the skills they need to pursue their artistic dreams in the performing arts,” Music Center Spotlight program director Jeri Gaile said. “The program also helps students with their enhancement of skills, such as confidence and self-esteem.”

In September, 1,600 total contestants auditioned, 532 of them auditioning for the Non-Classical Voice category. The judges then selected 108 semi-finalists, 15 from each category, and after a second audition on Feb. 15 with these semi-finalists, the judges announced McDermott and Dean as winners for Non-Classical Voice.

“This is a big accomplishment for Mira Costa’s Drama/Tech and Choir departments to have both the winners of such a prestigious award from Mira Costa,” Costa Drama teacher Carol Mathews said.

McDermott and Dean will each receive $5,000 in cash prizes and perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in the Spotlight Grand Finale Performance on March 31. The show will be open to the public, and tickets are on sale for $10 each.

“It was a humbling experience to have the award bestowed upon me,” Dean said. “Everyone was extremely talented, and I was overjoyed to have been able to be in such a talented musical pool.”