Idol NV Round 2: Jazzy Favorites, Heartfelt Ballads, Spellbound Audience

Yet again, Napa's talented teens didn’t disappoint in round two of biennial . Saturday night’s round was the second out of four qualifiers for the countywide contest, which will crown its 2011 "Idol NV" on Feb. 26.

Former conductor Asher Raboy emceed the weekend’s qualifying round, and did it with style: Raboy showed up for the job in tie and tails, and wasn’t afraid to crack a joke here and there throughout the night, though some of his puns didn’t get the response he hoped for.

“This is a tough room,” Raboy joked, after a couple of jokes about voting went flat.

Kyle Cuddy, Itzel Fernanda Sanchez, Alec Higginbotham, Caroline Hynote, Katelyn Leveque, Chloe Madison Jakubowski, Samantha Moore, Anna “Belle” Mourraille, and Brandon Carrigan were the evening's contstants, all vying for the opportunity to sing in the final round.

First to perform was Moore, an 18-year-old from , who sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” flawlessly.

Idol NV judges Taylor Bartolucci (co-founder of ), Richard Aldag (executive director of Napa Valley Symphony), and Aimée Guillot (drama teacher at ), praised her performance, Guillot telling Moore her voice was like a "glove to your hand.”

 The night’s music ranged from Broadway show tunes to contemporary country, with contestants including Leveque, a sophomore at ; Cuddy, a senior at and eighth graders Alec Higginbotham of and Chloe Jakubowski of , continuing to wow the judges with their maturity and vocal range.

By the time Hynote, of , finished her breathtaking performance of “Summertime,” by George Gershwin, the crowd was in an obvious state of disbelief that they were sitting in a talent show in Napa, rather than a jazz club in Soho.

Guillot described Hynote's performance as “like a cold drink on a hot day, in a smoky café in East Village.”

Hynote, a seasoned professional already at age 17, travels to Carnegie Hall next month to perform with the American High School Honors Performance Series, a prestigious national competition.

When Raboy asked her about her hobbies outside of singing jazzy classics, Hynote replied, “I just sing. I sing all the time—doing dishes, in the shower, driving …”

Suffice it to say all of that practice is making her voice quite perfect. At the end of the night, Hynote was the audience favorite to move to the final round Feb. 26.

Anna “Belle” Mourraille  sang Bruno Mars’ “ accompanying herself on piano in a performance that led Bartolucci to exclaim “I can’t believe I’m in Napa right now!”

Guillot described Mourraille's song delivery as “like a runaway freight train—it was intense as soon as it started, and never stopped,” and compared the singer to “very young Tori Amos.”

Mourraille had no idea who Amos was, and told Guillot she would “look her up.” At 26, I felt quite old in that moment.

A stage natural, Mourraille happily bantered with the emcee following her performance. Raboy was astonished by her piano talents and asked how long she’d been playing.

"Last August," the 14-year-old responded, to audible gasps from the audience. “It’s been easy for me to pick up.”

Raboy chuckled, and said, “You know, I’ve played piano for 52 years, and it’s never been easy for me.”

Mourraille's kind-hearted response: “Well, that’s ok. At least you still have people that love you.”

So does Mourraille: The judges voted her their favorite.

The night ended with a sweet duet—an Idol NV first—featuring Sanchez and Carrigan of New Technology High. The two sang The Calling’s “Wherever You Will Go,” with Carrigan on guitar, assuring the audience that even though he was from New Tech High, “he wasn’t nerdy, or anything.”

Nerds or not, the pair -- and the rest of Saturday night's Idol hopefuls — proved to be a talented and entertaining bunch.

The winners of the night were announced with great smiles by Bartolucci and Guillot, who congratulated Mourraille and Hynote, the audience and judge favorites, respectively, wishing them all the best in the finale.

And what a finale it’s shaping up to be! Tickets are still available for the Feb. 26 performance at 7 p.m.

And there are still two qualifying rounds to go: Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, both at 4 p.m. at the Opera House.

An FYI to all you aspiring Napa County singers ages 13 to 18: is still accepting applications for the 3rd round of competition. The prizes at stake are amazing! Each contestant from Round 2 got a slew of goodies, with the finale's winner given the opportunity to open for a world-class musician at a future Napa Valley Opera House show.