Singers take centerstage at talent show

The voice may have won over the judges, but the carnations he handed out won over the women in the audience.

Yendor Reese, a freshmen vocal performance major, won the Night at the Apollo Talent Show and a $150 prize Tuesday night with his rendition of Brian McKnight’s “Back At One.” During his performance, Reese handed out carnations to women in the audience, a move he said was planned.

Night at the Apollo was sponsored by Intercultural Education Services and the Black History Planning Committee to honor Black History Month. The event mimicked Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, N.Y. The Apollo is famous for being among the nation’s most popular arena for emerging black and Latino performers.

Tuesday night’s events honored artists Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five, Tito Puente, Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo, who all performed at the theater before becoming famous.

Emcee Hollis Henley, a sophomore English major, said the event was planned as an introduction to Black History Month as a way to have fun and get people to participate in other events. He said Black History Month events will bring the contributions of African-Americans to light.

“The whole Black History concept shows America that we’ve made a positive contribution to society,” Henley said.

Seven other events sponsored by Intercultural Education Services and the Black History Planning Committee will be held throughout February to honor black history.

— Nyshicka Jordan