Tri-State IDOL 2013 Raises Funds For Marian Educational Outreach

Giving new meaning to the idea that the last shall be first, Mater Dei senior Taylor Dolletzki strolled onto the stage as the sixth and final contestant in the April 19 MEO Tri-State IDOL competition. A few minutes later, with the crowd in the Clarion Inn, Evansville, pavillian buzzing with excitement and anticipation, Dolletzki returned to the stage, along with his five competitors, and learned that he had been voted the 2013 MEO Tri-State IDOL winner.

“I didn’t come expecting to win at all because I knew how majorly talented all of the other contestants were,” said Dolletzki, who performed the song Banjo by Rascal Flatts. “It was a really cool opportunity and a great event for a great cause. It was awesome.”

Although he plans to focus on business and law when he begins his college career this fall at Indiana University, Dolletzki’s heart belongs to music. His band New Haven, which blends rock, pop and country, plays shows in the Evansville area. 

Judges for the evening were Kelley Coures, Nancy Drake and Jack Schriber, who serve as the editorial muscle behind the Courier & Press’s popular “On and About Town” column. Repeatedly during the contest – which helped raise funds for Marian Educational Outreach – the three judges commented that picking out a winner from among the six strong performers would be a nearly impossible task.

Finishing second in this year’s spirited vocal competition, inspired by the popular TV show American Idol, was Memorial High School senior Anna Dewey, whose passionate rendition of “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys excited both the judges and crowd. A veteran of Memorial High School musicals and other area stage productions, Dewey plans to begin her studies in musical theater and vocal performance this fall at Belmont University in Nashville, Ind.

The third place finisher was Meghan Gallagher, a University of Evansville freshman (and 2012 Memorial High School graduate) who is pursuing a degree in Music Therapy. She performed the song “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables.

This was the third year for the MEO Tri-State IDOL gala, a major fundraiser for Marian Educational Outreach, which is a ministry of the Diocese of Evansville that is committed to providing opportunities for students with unique learning needs to reach their highest potential while remaining within the Catholic school system.

MEO is structured as a funding agency that enables Evansville diocesan schools to provide professional development experiences for their teachers and to provide additional special education programming for all their students with unique learning needs.

While the final amount raised from this year’s gala was still being calculated at the time of this article’s publication, MEO Director Beverly Williamson was cautiously optimistic that the numbers would exceed 2012’s net profit of approximately $50,000.

Williamson said she was “amazed and happy” to see that IDOL continues to grow each year, and that the talent on display has remained strong.

 “The quality of local talent continues to amaze,” she said.