The popular local singing competition The Voice of Ravenna has returned for a second season and will host its final round and live voting at the West Main Street Winery & Brewery 234 West Main Street in downtown Ravenna on July 25 beginning at 11 a.m.
“Even though we did it last year, this year is going to be a whole another level of quality and show production,” Fallon Schwab-Davis aka “DJ Krooze” told The Weekly Villager on July 9.
After its inaugural season last year, the local singing competition will crown a new winner as the final 11 competitors will perform two songs in front of a live audience to vie for the honorary title of becoming the second winner of The Voice in Ravenna.
The winner will receive a cash prize along with the honorary tile and the opportunity to perform at the Ravenna’s annual Balloon-A-Fair. Schwab-Davis noted that this year’s winner will not be eligible to compete next year, as the rules require that each winner take at least a year off from competing.
According to Schwab-Davis, the competition fielded a deeper pool of competitors this year, as there were initially 40 applicants, which was double the number of participants from last year.
The initial field of 40 was halved to 20 for the semifinal round and from there, a judging panel determined the final 11 competitors who would perform in front of a live crowd.
“This year, the competition is getting real,” Schwab-Davis added. “This year, I want to say people really came out, gave it their all and gave it their “A” game. We have a lot of talent and unique styles, very different genres, very different energies, different types of voices and approaches, it is going to be a show.”
She acknowledged that several of the final 11 are alumni from last season’s competition that did compete in the final round, as well as other returnees that initially applied last year but did not advance to the final round, as well as some newcomers.
Schwab-Davis said that the final 11 competitors form a diverse group, as the youngest competitor is still a high school student while the oldest competitors are a 70-year-old married couple.
In addition to several returnees competing in the final round again, last season’s winner, Samantha Krop of Rootstown, will be co-hosting and emceeing the event alongside Schwab-Davis. Although not able to compete this year, she will help crown her successor.
“From other local competitions, it is very common that the same person wins every year, so we don’t want it to just become a popularity contest,” Schwab-Davis said. “We want it to not necessarily be based on popularity so with taking that year off I think that is exactly when I think it is a perfect time for Sam to come in and just be co-host. She is still a part of it, we still acknowledge last year’s triumph which I love and then like I said, just handing off the torch to the next person.”
Krop will perform before the final 11 competitors take the stage and then co-host for the rest of the competition.
“It is such a beautiful thing, it is so humbling and, in a way, honorable for the winner who worked her butt off and practiced and put herself out there to fairly and equally earn the votes. It is amazing having her back and I think it shows potential contestants what it could be like to be at the top,” noted Schwab-Davis.
Schwab-Davis said that most of the final 11 will perform cover songs of popular artists in the final round, and the song selections will cover several different musical eras.
She added that for the second season, the competition will try to make the competition more engaging and accessible for the audience.
“I think we are picking it up a notch with making it more accessible with the voting,” she said. “We upped the quality of crowd engagement with the auditions, going Facebook live, posting the lists with new graphics. Now that we have Sam as a co-host, that is going to help me be able to be in two places at once running special sound effects or the show itself in terms of the winner.”
Schwab-Davis said that in addition to having a deeper pool of competitors to select from, the level of competition has also been greatly raised.
