Boca Raton Resident Nick Aquilino Wins Boca Raton Bowl Idol Competition

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Aug. 5, 2017 - PRLog -- The stakes were high and the room packed this week to cheer on the topeight finalists for the Boca Raton Bowl's Idol Competition for their opportunity to win the coveted honor of singing the National Anthem at this year's Boca Raton Bowl game on Tuesday, December 19. At the evening hosted by Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery Boca Raton and benefited Boca Raton Bowl charity partner, Spirit of Giving, as part of the Great Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Festival Days, 19-year-old Boca Raton resident Nick Aquilino reigned as the winner.

Before an audience of more than 300, the announcement was made after the top eight contestants, who were determined by the open-to-the-public online voting phase of the competition, performed a song of their choice and then the top three finalists sang the National Anthem. Competing were Nick Aquilino, Amanda Ferber, Lauren Gadol, Generation Gap, Aryan Ranjan, Kara Sangree, Rodrigo Torrejón and Anne Marie Van Casteren​.

Nick Aquilino's style is Pop, Soul, Funk, and Hip-Hop fusion has caught national attention for the young singer. Performing at prestigious venues such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Aquilino most recently was given the honor of opening up for Grammy Award Winners, such as Phil Collins and George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic. Aquilino is attending the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the fall.

Joining Aquilino in the final competition round were:

·       Rodrigo Torrejón, a senior at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, resides in Delray Beach. He has been taking voice lessons for three years, as well as other intensive training in musical theater. Torrejón placed second in the High School Vocal category at the Boca Raton Rotary Club's Future Stars competition and won the Founder's Council Award for Excellence in Voice at Pine Crest School.

·       Anne Marie Van Casteren, originally from Long Island New York. Van Casteren has lived in Wellington for about fifteen years now, following a move with her family after the September 11^th attacks, her father worked for the NYPD ATF division and was part of the rescue and recovery team. Van Casteren attended Lynn University for both her undergraduate degree and her MBA. She recently decided to further explore her passion for singing after being the lead performer at Lynn University's Celebration of the Arts.

"This was an amazing community event, from the more than 30 entries, the 8,000+ public votes cast online, to the wall-to-wall attendance on finalist night," said Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director Doug Mosley. "While a lot of fun, this was not an easy choice and much gratitude goes out to our esteemed judges."

ESPN's Ken LaVicka was as the evening's emcee, with the following serving as the panel of judges:

·       Kendra Erika: A pop singer/songwriter and recording artist who grew up in Boca Raton and attended Lynn University. In the last six months, two of Erika's original songs reached top-10 status on the Billboard Dance Charts and are receiving national acclaim. Erika performed the National Anthem at the Boca Bowl in 2015.

·       Rose Farone, marketing director of Boca Raton Bowl Sponsor JM Lexus. Farone joined JM Family Enterprises in 1999 and launched the Human Resources Department and Marketing Departments at JM Lexus. Farone is a choir parent and chair of the marketing committee for the Florida Singing Sons choir. She has also served as a Boca Raton Bowl Community Captain.

·       Carrie Simpson: Knowing well both music and the City of Boca Raton, Simpson has immersed herself in the arts as a teacher and performer. Professionally, she has performed at the Kravis Center and Boca Raton Theater Guild and was a featured vocalist for the Klezmer Orchestra. Simpson is currently an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Lynn University where she is the creative director for the annual Celebration of the Arts. She holds an M.F.A in Theatre from Florida Atlantic University and has taught at FAU and Palm Beach State College.

·       Molly Vogal: Vogal's professional experience includes theatre, film, television, vocal performances, commercials and voiceovers. She appeared on ABC's
"All American Girl" and the Off-Broadway productions "A Dolphin Up A Tree" and "Happy Flower and the Weeping Willow". Some of her favorite roles included Rizzo in "Grease", Liesl in a tour of "The Sound of Music" and Cathy in the regional production of "Funny Girl".

For more information on the 2017 Boca Raton Bowl set to kick-off on Tuesday, December 19 at 7 p.m. at FAU Stadium, lead-in events and bowl game ticket sales, visit www.thebocaratonbowl.com.