Fremont’s Got Talent: MSJ Judges and Winner Soukhya

By: Vivian Jair

On Friday, November 9, a medley of musicians, singers, dancers, and bands entertained spectators with their performances in the annual Fremont’s Got Talent Showcase at the Teen Center. The performers, who had been selected through preliminary auditions or mailed recordings weeks prior, also competed for a variety of awards and prizes, including gift cards and opportunities for further performances. Awards were split into Audience Awards, for which the audience cast ballots, and Judge Awards from five designated judges. Both sections were then divided into sub-categories of Solo Award, Group Award, Senior Award (for individuals 13-18 years-old), and Junior Award (for individuals 12 years-old and under).
 
Two MSJ students won notable awards in the competition, in which there were approximately seventeen different performances, narrowed down from around fifty in the original auditions. Eighth-grader Tomas Choi, who currently takes Algebra 2 at MSJ, won the first-place Audience Solo Award with a flute piece.
 
Freshman Soukhya Inamdar, an experienced vocalist, won the first-place Judges Solo Award and second-place Audience Solo Award. She sang “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera in dedication to her mother, whose father passed away at an early age. Inamdar, who has learned and performed Indian Classical Music for over nine years, has achieved several other notable feats as well. In addition to being featured in local events, TV, and radio, Inamdar also won the Best Teen Voice of 2011 award at Shankar Mahadevan Academy’s GRMD show. The competition was judged by prestigious Bollywood music director Anadji of Kalyaanji-Anadji. Inamdar hopes to compete in more events in the future, and to eventually participate in American Idol.
 
Regarding the award, Inamdar was proud of her achievement. “I was aiming for 1st place, like always, and when my name was announced I was so happy and relieved!” she said. “Fremont’s Got Talent had many talented kids from all the schools.”
 
The designated judges agreed, very impressed by the talent of the contestants. The showcase was organized and partially judged by the City of Fremont Youth Advisory Commission (YAC), a group of thirteen representatives from Fremont’s teen community. Four of the commissioners are current MSJ students: Seniors Aniruddha Dayal and Rahil Hudda, as well as Juniors Yash Pal and Alankrita Dayal, who is the current Vice-Chair. Four of the YAC members, including Pal, were among the five designated judges. In order to choose fairly and accurately, Pal and the other judges carefully assessed each performance, conferring together at the end of the showcase to determine the winners. Pal, who has helped organize the two prior years’ showcases, was impressed by the smooth production and overall performances of this year’s showcase.
 
“The show was full of talent, and it was really entertaining,” said Pal. “All the performances really make you realize just how much talent we have over here in Fremont.”