Oct. 4, 2024 -- Heights High junior Henry Dyck loves singing. He’s a member of the a cappella choir, barbershop choir, and a new barbershop quartet he formed with three friends called Freaky Bob, and he has a lead role in this fall’s musical Big Fish. He also loves competition and is a member of the varsity soccer, swim and lacrosse teams.
This fall, Henry found a way to combine those two passions … by applying to compete in Northeast Ohio’s premier vocal music competition for high school students: Shining Star CLE. Organized by the Mandel Jewish Community Center, Shining Star CLE is an American Idol-style competition open to any student in grades 9 through 12 throughout Greater Cleveland. With nearly $20,000 in scholarship dollars on the line and a professional quality performance at Playhouse Square, Shining Star attracts applications from approximately 200 hopeful students.
The first step for Henry was selecting a piece of music so he could submit a recording. He chose “Out There,” a song from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which he said “fit my voice well.” He made it to the top 100, which he admits he expected. He was then invited to participate in a virtual audition with other applicants and the judges, all professionals representing various genres in the music industry.
After singing for them again and answering some get-to-know-you questions, Henry advanced to Semi-Finals, which consisted of the top 25 students. Next came an in-person performance at the Mandel Center in front of the judges. And, to Henry’s surprise, he advanced to the Finals as a member of the Top Ten.
While he’s had experience performing his whole life, he credits the Heights High Vocal Music Department with much of his success. “I got a lot of coaching on stage presence” from VMD teacher Jesse Lange and Drama teacher David Jurns while playing Lucas Beineke in last year’s musical The Addams Family. “They both helped me a lot and I carried that over to this year’s Shining Star.”
The grand finale production took place on September 22 in front of nearly 1,000 spectators at Playhouse Square. Each finalist performed a solo plus sang as part of ensemble groups, similar to episodes of American Idol. In the end, Henry came in sixth place and is “really glad” he did it. “I’m already excited to do it again next year.”