Holly Walter won the Voice of Baltimore 2013 competition this week at Padonia Station. Leroy Laws (not pictured) was the first male winner. (VoB Photo/Debi Fowler)

TWELFTH ANNUAL ‘VOICE OF BALTIMORE’ COMPETITION
CONCLUDES WITH 2 WINNERS: ONE MALE, ONE FEMALE

Final  at Padonia Station sports club in Timonium
features 18 singers participating in 5-hour event
 
The twelfth annual “Voice of Baltimore” singing competition concluded at Padonia Station in Timonium this week with the first-ever dual winners, one male, one female.

Holly Walter and Leroy Laws took first-place honors, with Courtney Brewer and Andy Felicitas coming in second. Third place went to Crystal Freeman and Bruce Gavin.

To see full contest results  click here.

However an additional finalist — local band vocalist Sara Heilman, who placed out of the money at the five-hour event — consented to describe for Voice of Baltimore her experience performing in the annual competition at Padonia Station for the second time.

The following is Sara’s story — exclusive to VoB — a tale of failure and rejection… and ultimate triumph.
 
REJECTION: A CONSTANT IN A PERSON’S LIFE
THAT HAS  THE POWER  TO BUILD  OR BREAK
 
By Sara Heilman
 
A majority of people shy away from the unknown. They refuse to put themselves center stage, to give themselves a voice, to stand up for what they believe in. And most importantly, to keep trying, despite their many failed attempts.

However, I am not the majority. I am a 24-year-old girl who has seen my fair share of struggle. A girl who has worked for everything I can now call my own.

Not once have I ever gotten lucky or had something happen by chance. No, I have had to create the opportunities which are now available to me. I wouldn’t be writing this piece had I not been a person who has overcome failure and rejection time and time again.

I can’t remember when I first started singing, but I do remember watching my idols — Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera. These women dominated the music industry with their powerful vocals, bringing chills up and down the spine for those who listened… and everyone was listening. I knew I wanted to be like them, not for the fame or the fortune, but to have my voice heard.

My first real rejection came when I was 13 years old — an already awkward stage for any teenager at the time — when I auditioned for my school’s talent show. I knew the competition I was up against, but I also believed I had talent that superseded theirs.

Sara Heilman belts out a song in a per- formance with the band Denim N Lace.

However I lacked stage presence: I was a hermit, a statue, a girl that just stood there and sang with every nerve in her body showing up in her voice.

And I never made it into the talent show.

After my first horrendous attempt at an audition, I decided to “get real.” Besides, singing was like a pipe dream for me, and you can just imagine the look on my parents’ faces when I told them that I was going to be on stage and in the movies someday.

So, I forsook singing altogether.

However, after abandoning the one thing that I had ever really loved, I was lost. I dabbled in things here and there, trying to find a hobby that would take over my mind like music did. But there was a constant itch, an unrelenting notion in the back of my mind that I could be a singer if I only tried.

I graduated from high school in my junior year, 2006, knowing that if I wanted to sing professionally, then my journey would have to start as soon as possible. So, while the rest of my peers were going on field trips, attending prom, and making memories that would last a lifetime, I was working full-time to save money for my next plan: American Idol.

I have watched American Idol religiously for the majority of the time that it has aired, but it only took the first year of its broadcast to reel me in.

Kelly Clarkson — a small-town girl from Texas — took a chance and won, so why couldn’t I? The next thing I knew, I was spending my life-savings on a trip to Philadelphia, so that I could show Randy, Paula and Simon — the show’s three judges — that I had what it took to be the next American Idol. However, the City of Brotherly Love wasn’t so loving toward me after all.

The Philly auditions drew in nearly 20,000 people, and after countless hours of sitting and waiting, and sitting and waiting, it was finally my turn. But it wasn’t just me singing — it was a line of people singing all at once — and Randy, Paula and Simon were nowhere to be found.

It was a situation I hadn’t prepared for. Within a matter of 15 seconds my fate was decided, and once again, I walked away, penniless and disappointed. But this time, I knew what needed to be done.

I feared the audience the most. All I thought about during auditions was what others were thinking of me. And it showed. However, two times rejected, I still yearned for more: I loved what the fear did to me — it made adrenaline flow through my blood and caused my heart to beat rapidly. It was a rush like no other.

Sara Heilman is one of three lead vocalists with the Harford County country band Denim N Lace.

In total, I auditioned for American Idol three times, but still to no avail. Then I finally caught a break: I heard about the Voice of Baltimore (formerly Baltimore Idol) auditions in 2012, and figured that I had nothing to lose if I auditioned.

The first round was a night to remember. I sang Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and the judges told me that it was the best performance of the night. However the judges also called me out on my stage fright, which they recognized through my statue-like presence.

Yet despite the few criticisms I did get, I made it through the preliminary round. Again, I sang a powerhouse song: “My Heart Will Go On.” According to the judges, my nervousness was apparent, but the song, they said, was “flawless.”

Hearing those words gave me all the confidence I needed, and I felt positive that I had a chance to win the competition. However, like the American Idol auditions, it didn’t take me long to realize that the Voice of Baltimore judges weren’t just looking for a great voice, they were looking for an “act” — someone with personality and presence.

They were looking for the very things I couldn’t give them.

My final song was “Hurt,” made famous by the one and only Christina Aguilera. The judges had absolutely nothing bad to say about my performance, but yet, I didn’t even place in the top three.

It was an extremely long drive home that night. But again, it was nothing different from before, and I just had to pick myself up one more time.

After the competition, I uploaded a video of my second audition to Facebook and the feedback was phenomenal. A few months later, I heard from an old schoolmate who was leaving her band and asked if I’d audition for her spot. For the first time in my life — after all the money, all the time, all the failure — I finally made a small accomplishment towards a singing career and became a member of Denim N Lace.

And again, for the second time, I found myself at the Voice of Baltimore finals this week.

This time I had stage presence, breaking out of that shell that once sheltered me. I sang Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” which I knew would make or break me in the competition.

Sara sang Aretha Franklin's “Respect” (written in 1965 by Otis Redding) and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” (written in 1974 by country singer Dolly Parton) at Padonia Station in the Voice of Baltimore competition finals.

It seemed to go over fairly well however. But being that it was my first time ever singing it publicly, I did have a few pitch problems here and there. I was definitely more confident with my second song choice: once again, I chose “I Will Always Love You.”

Similar to the previous year, I received positive feedback from the judges. But would that be enough?

Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t. The Voice of Baltimore 2013 contest ended up being yet another learning experience for me.

I didn’t place in the top three, but I believe those females who did were most certainly deserving. Even though I didn’t place, I still walked away feeling like I had won: I broke out of my comfort zone and gave my performances much more than what I had in the past.

Slowly but surely I am growing and learning from my past experiences. I still have doubts and fears, but who doesn’t? The fact of the matter is, there’s no telling what can happen. So, despite my constant failures and rejections over the years, I will never give up trying.
 
sheilm1@students.towson.edu
 
EDITOR’s NOTE:

Denim N Lace is a country band from Harford County, Md. that performs throughout the Greater Baltimore area. Sara Heilman is one of its three lead singers. (Click here for the band’s 2013-2014 schedule.)

Sara was born in Baltimore, grew up in Pylesville, in Harford County, where she now lives. She attended North Harford High School, Harford Community College, and is currently majoring in electronic media and film at Towson University.

This is her initial contribution to Voice of Baltimore.
 

Padonia Station’s Voice of Baltimore 2013 finalist Sara Heilman, left, in performance with the country band Denim N Lace.