Alexandria Audritsh was ready for a fresh CarmelFest Has Talent challenge.
So, Audritsh and Josh Baxter will perform a duet. Audritsh will be a Carmel High School senior and Baxter will be a freshman in August.
“Josh and I have both been soloists before, and this is a very new experience for us,” Audritsh said. “Forming a singing duo has taught me partnership and teamwork, whether it’s selecting the song piece or creating harmonies. For me, going back into CarmelFest as a singing duo will be adrenaline-packed and exciting, but I’m most interested in seeing the audience reaction to this new partnership that Josh and I formed. This (will be) the very first time that we perform together in public, and we are really looking forward to it.”
Audritsh and Baxter will perform “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin” in the competition set for 3 to 5 p.m. July 3 at the Gazebo Stage. The top three advance in each division to the finals from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 4.
Audritsh was a semifinalist in 2013.
Meggie Iyer, who will be a CHS freshman, was a semifinalist in 2014.
“When I first moved to Carmel in third grade, the first event I went to was CarmelFest, and when I saw people singing in the gazebo, I knew I wanted to do that as well,” Iyer said. “I am very passionate about music, and I’d love to share that passion with everyone.”
Iyer will sing “When We Were Young” by Adele.
Courtney Krauter, a Carmel resident, will compete in the talent show for the third time. The 2017 Herron High School graduate and Indiana University student finished second last year.
“I’m looking forward to just being involved in CarmelFest because it’s always a fun time to be around family and the people I grew up with to celebrate the Fourth of July,” Krauter said. “I will be singing ‘At Last’ by Etta James because it’s within the genre I absolutely love to sing, old-time jazz with just a hint of pop.”
Sadie Cohen, who will be a fifth-grade student at West Clay Elementary School, is competing for the second consecutive year. Cohen, 10, is performing what she hopes will be a crowd-pleasing song, “Rise Up” by Andra Day
Cohen said she “wanted to return with a really awesome song that will inspire people during the Fourth of July holiday.”
Cohen performed as Young Fiona in Jr. Civic Theatre’s production of “Shrek The Musical Jr.” in June.
Other performers from Carmel are Kevin Zhang (piano) in the 12-and-under division; Abigail Judy, Gabi Bradley and Ben Boyce (Route 66) in the 13-16 division; and Sophia Delgado in the 17-20 division. The final division is 21 and older.
