Kira Christiansen's biggest fear is that when she takes thestage tonight she might sound like an opera singer.
Opera has been Christiansen's life for the last five years atBall State because she is training to become an opera singer.
However, she will abandon her comfort zone of melodic operasongs to belt out a tune from her favorite musical, "The SecretGarden," during the 20th Annual Student Scholarship Talent SearchCompetition.
"I have fun singing musical theater," she said. "It's just notwhat I've ever felt my strong point was."
Christiansen is one of 23 individual or group acts that willperform at competition at 7:30 p.m. tonight in EmensAuditorium.
Admission to the show is free this year for the first time,Courtney Lyman, Student ScholarshipTalent Search Competitionchairperson, said.
"This is one of the best experiences I've had at Ball State,"Lyman, who has been on the Homecoming Steering Committee for threeyears, said.
The students performing in the show auditioned early inSeptember and were selected as finalists out of about 60people.
The students will be judged on natural ability, style,difficulty, stage presence, entertainment and time length of theirperformance.
One winner from each of the seven categories will receive a $500scholarship courtesy of the Ball State Alumni Association to usefor next semester. The overall winner will get an additional $500for a total of $1000 in scholarship money.
The categories in which students will be competing includeFemale Vocal, Male Vocal, Dance, Instrumental, Musical Group,Freestyle and Original Arrangement. The category of OriginalArrangement was added this year to allow those students who havewritten their own songs to compete in a separate group.
Junior Adam Meyers, who is competing in this category,auditioned last year, but didn't make finals. This year he will beplaying guitar and singing a song he wrote called "A Cat NamedWinthorp." He said that he hopes the audience will react positivelyto his performance.
"If they laugh, then it worked," Meyers said. "I've hadaudiences that get confused and don't know if they're supposed tolaugh."
Christiansen said that she performs for the audience because forsome people this could be their first show and for some people itcould be their last.
To prepare for the show, Christiansen said that she worked withher voice teacher, practiced with her accompanist (who is also herbest friend) and got advice from last year's Student ScholarshipTalent Search winner, Mike Arthur.
"He was actually the first person I sang this song for becauseobviously he knows what kind of songs are good for thiscompetition," Christiansen said.
Lyman selected Ball State staff members Scott Jones and DerickVirgil to be the masters of ceremony for the show.
"They'll really make a good combination," she said. "They'llkeep it serious and professional, but at the same time, they arestill going to have fun with it and liven things up a bit."
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