VIU Idol: Students Sing Their Way to VIU Fame

Watch out Simon, Randy, and Paula! VIU has singing superstars of its own and held its first VIU Idol competition on March 8.

Four VIU students – Sarah Tosyali , Roshni Rao, Sanjay Sunam, and Sandeep Maskey competed for Fair Oaks Mall gift cards while impressing audiences with their vocal range, stage presence, and showmanship.

Tina Segismundo , Irina Nichita , and Laura Hills served in the roles of Randy, Simon, and Paula respectively, and offered post-performance feedback to each contestant. According to Segismundo, “It takes tremendous courage to get up and sing in front of all of your classmates and instructors. Our contestants were very impressive”. Nichita admits that she had difficulty emulating Simon's biting criticism. Nonetheless, the audience was amused by her kinder and gentler impersonation of the man everyone loves to hate.

VIU Idol judges and contestants gather to celebrate the moment. From L to R: Professor Laura Hills, Roshni Rao, Sarah Tosyali, Irina Nichita, Sanjay Sunam, First Prize Winner Sandeep Maskey, and Tina Segismundo.

The VIU Idol grand prize was a $100 gift card. The winner, determined by audience vote, was Sandeep Maskey, who sang and played his own guitar accompaniment to “Leaving on a Jet Plane”.

Says Hills, “I had the chance to hear Peter, Paul, and Mary perform this beautiful song in a concert many years ago, and I enjoyed it. It's a great tune. However, I thought Sandeep brought more personality and feeling into his performance. He and all of our contestants are so incredibly talented.”