by Jack Xiang

China Blue’s singing contest this year was held in the SAC Auditorium, a pleasant change from the SAC Ballroom of last year. Unlike the ballroom, the auditorium has better sound quality, actual seats, and an actual stage that singers can perform on. The setting of the contest was more similar to a concert than a singing contest and that is what made it fabulous! The energy and excitement in the air that night was something between a concert and a party, making the event a big success - and the free tickets only sweetened the deal.

The winner this year was a Cantonese singer Katie Lai; second place winner went to Zi Yan Luo; and John Zou came in third. The winners this year came up on top against a lot of talent including one of the first non-heritage students, Riley Stein. While Riley did not place in the contest it was very impressive of her to sing a song in a foreign language in front of a full auditorium. 

While the singing itself was great as it was in previous years, there were several things about this year that made the experience spectacular. 
   The first thing that made this year different was the way the winner was decided. This year the panel of judges were made up of all Chinese graduate students at Stony Brook, a shift from the traditional faculty. The judges, however, only made up part of the vote, the second half was made up of the students who attended. They voted by waving glow-sticks for the singer they supported. 
   The second thing was the atmosphere that China Blue created with the simple addition of stage lights. The good usage of spotlights and the glow-sticks made the event really come alive. 
   The last thing that made China Blue’s Singing Contest worth going to and made it great was that there was more than enough food for a full auditorium of students as part of providing a true cultural atmosphere.

All in all, China Blue’s Singing Contest was one of the most fun events that I have attended this semester. For those who missed the event this year, it is definitely worth your time.

Photos of the event are at
www.aasquared.org/gallery/ChinaBlueSinging0308

 

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