Missouri Theatre

Rising idol

Mizzou crowns winner of student singing competition.


Hollywood's got nothing on CoMo.

Contestants in the fourth annual Mizzou Idol, a student singing competition inspired by the popular television showAmerican Idol, performed to a sold-out crowd in the 1,200-seat Missouri Theatre — a first for the event. Another first: Fans who weren't lucky enough to get tickets could watch a live stream of the show online and, along with the in-person audience, vote by text or tweet in the "fan favorite" and "wild card" categories.

First-place and second-place winners were chosen by a panel of judges: former MU campus activities coordinator Lauren Karr, radio personality/local music guru Kevin Walsh and MU School of Music professor Christine Seitz.

The winners
  • Fan favorite: Abbey Tingle, a sophomore journalism major, who performed “Too Close” by Alex Clare in the final round.
  • Second place: Jenny Teator, a junior health-sciences major, who performed an original song during the finals round.
  • First place: Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, a sophomore journalism major, who won over the judges with her rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and won the Mizzou Idol title.

These Tigers aren't the only Mizzou vocalists making a stir. MU student Kiara Lanier, a junior from Chicago, recently competed on American Idol and earned high praise from judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. Watch her audition.

Want to learn more about the Mizzou Idol contestants? Check out these videos »

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