Last Saturday, June 21, 2014, NBC’s Emmy Award winning television show, “The Voice,” held auditions for its seventh upcoming season at the DU Ritchie Center.
A nationwide search “dedicated to finding the country’s best unknown artists,” The Voice searches for talent year-round, accepting online video submissions and hosting auditions in varying towns across America, according to the show’s website.
The show’s production team reached out to DU for availability when choosing where to rent out this year’s audition location in Denver, and the university rented the facility like it would for any other event after the final contract signing in April, according to Assistant Director of Ritchie Center Events, Megan Kelly. Since The Voice auditions were classified as an external event, Kelly said DU had very little part in its production, other than providing services such as Argus Event Staffing for security and volunteer non-profit group Always Fundraising to work concessions outside of the building.
“Everything went very smoothly,” said Kelly, who did not recall DU ever having hosted this kind of event before.
While the show’s production team was expecting around 4,000 people to try out, Kelly recalls them saying there were about 3,000 who actually did. This number does not account for the amount of friends and family members present on campus to support those auditioning. According to Kelly, the line outside the Ritchie Center’s north entrance started at 5 a.m. and the event ended around 8 p.m.
Contestants in line to enter Ritchie Center’s north entrance located off Buchtel Boulevard and South University Boulevard.
The actual audition process was split into two arrival times, however, one at 7 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m., according to 17-year-old contestant Jane Smith, from Louisville, Colo. Smith, who had been standing in line with her mother for over an hour-and-a-half.
According to Smith, contestants were instructed to come prepared to sing two songs of their choice a cappella, her songs being “Ordinary People” by John Legend and “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith.
“I think this is a great opportunity for singers all around,” said Smith, who made it to nationals on the X Factor last May. “You can have any sound and they don’t look at your appearance—they just look at the talent of your voice, which is important, because appearance isn’t everything.”
20-year-old DU theater major and Denver native, Thomas Lynch, felt similar appreciation for the show’s structure and reputation, praising its past judges for their credibility in the music industry and the show’s knack for seeking out talent.
“I’m kind of nervous,” said Lynch, as he mentally prepared to sing “Say Something” by A Great Big World and “Let Her Go” by Passenger. “I mean, I’m not really expecting anything . . . it’s more just for the experience. I have my education in case this doesn’t work out.”
Right to left: Marvin Whitfield, his son Josh, Marvin’s friend Rusty Callaway and his son Connor.
Lynch said that if he were to make it past the preliminary audition, he would be willing to take some time off from DU before eventually returning, as his parents are in full support of him pursuing his musical dream and he feels confident about DU’s policy in letting students take a leave of absence.
While Smith and Lynch both shared the convenience of living in one of this year’s audition cities, other contestants were not as lucky—a factor which could only add to the disappointment if one were to not make it past the preliminary rounds.
39-year-old Marvin Whitfield from Truth or Consequences, N.M., was no exception, as he was forced to break the news of his second rejection (he had previously auditioned for the show in Nashville) to his 10-year-old son as he exited the Ritchie Center’s secured west entrance.
Though Whitfield makes a living off performing and was hopeful of his chance of nailing Garth Brooks’ “More than a Memory”, he said the experience as a whole was no walk in the park.
“The whole process was very long and grueling,” said Whitfield. “The worst part is when you get ten people in one room and one judge and try to sing a cappella. Everybody’s nerves are just shot. I don’t care if you’re Garth Brooks or who you are man, you’re [going to] have some nerves.”
Those contestants who make it past the preliminary auditions, like the one held at DU, will be flown to Los Angeles to perform in front of four well-known figures in the music industry. The show recently announced this season’s judges as Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, according to New York Daily News. The Voice season seven premieres September 22, 2014, according to NBC’s official website.
