BY JOHN E. USALIS
FRACKVILLE - The three finalists at Schuylkill County Idol XI took the stage at center court in the Schuylkill Mall on Tuesday evening, and when the musical notes settled, it was Autumn Maurer, Frackville, who won the 2013 title.
Maurer, 19, had very strong competition in the contest due to the impressive performances by Cody Wiley, 23, of Pottsville, and Rich Harper, 20, of Cumbola. The contest began July 2 with 17 entries.
The fourth and final round of Idol XI was different in that the winner was announced after the contestants had performed their three songs.
After introductions by mall property manager Elaine Maneval, the audience was treated to two opening songs by Schuylkill County Jr. Idol V winner Kane Heffron, 16, of Minersville.
Seated near the stage were judges Jeff Buchanan, Kim Russell Seibert and Allison Stella, who assigned points to performances and critiqued the singers after they completed each performance. Each contestant sang three songs in different categories. The first was the singer's choice, the second song with the theme "summer soul" and the third selected by the judges and Dana Baker, the mall's customer service manager and marketing assistant.
Harper was the first performer, singing the John Cash song, "Hurt," accompanying himself on guitar. In subsequent rounds he sang "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers and "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra.
Maurer's first tune was "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles, followed by "Hiding My Heart" by Adele and "When I'm Gone" by Anna Kendrick.
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith was Wiley's first song, followed by "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, singing it in a very different style than Harper. His third song was "Donna" by Ritchie Valens.
The winner of this year's competition receives a $1,000 Schuylkill Mall gift certificate, $100 gift certificate courtesy of The Bon-Ton, a professional studio photo shoot courtesy of Michael's Photography, a caricature package courtesy of Angie Jordan, a makeover from the Beverly Carlton Salon, $20 Kmart gift card, $50 Schuylkill Mall gift certificate from McCann School of Business and Technology, and will perform Aug. 3 at the Schuylkill County Fair.
The audience was also involved by having the opportunity to win prizes, including a flat screen TV.
Idol XI was sponsored by Frackville Rotary Club, Pepsi and Avalon.
This was the second time Maurer had competed, the first in 2011, when she finished in the top three. She was asked if there was anything learned from the first time that helped her this time around.
"I learned never to give up and keep on trying," Maurer said, who sported a very big smile. "I've been singing since I was very little. I just love to do it and share my voice with others."
The third song she sang, "When I'm Gone," included some percussion using three plastic cups, which her mother, Tina Maurer, said was learned with lots of practice.
"Yes, she practiced that in the middle of the night. She woke me up," Tina Maurer said, also saying her daughter showed talent when she was very young.
"She would hum songs as a baby before she could speak words and I'd be able to figure out what songs she was humming," Tina Maurer said. "I knew music was somewhere in her future."
Maneval said the talent this year was as great as ever from the beginning.
"They were great," Maneval said. "It was a very tough decision for the judges. I think it gets tougher every year. There's a lot of talent in Schuylkill County and every year there are new people competing."