Raquel Sargent, a military family member from Stuttgart, will compete as one of 12 finalists Dec. 8 in Operation Rising Star, Army Entertainment’s singing contest for Soldiers and military family members.
Army Entertainment has announced the 12 finalists slated to compete in Operation Rising Star in December.
U.S. Installation Management Command G9 Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs will host and conduct the finals at Fort Sam Houston Theatre, to determine the 2013 winner.
Operation Rising Star is a singing contest for Soldiers and military family members similar to but not affiliated with the popular television show “American Idol.”
Finalists from overseas garrisons include: family member Raquel Sargent from U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart; 1st Lt. Matthew Gabriel from USAG Wiesbaden; family member Christina Lewis from USAG Rheinland-Pfalz; Sgt. Oscar Bugarin from Camp Lomonnier, Djibouti; and Spc. Ikilya Davenport from USAG Humphreys, Korea.
Finalists from installations in the U.S. include: Sgt. Christiana Ball from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Pfc. Kiari Mhoon from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; family members Sarah Hopkins from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Charrie Mae Riggs from Fort Campbell, Ky., and Joyce Severino from U.S. Army Garrison Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and from California, 2nd Lt. Derrick Bishop from Fort Irwin, and Sgt. Scott Harris from the Presidio of Monterey.
Audition packets, which were submitted by participating U.S. Army garrisons, contained videos of first place winners from the garrison-level competitions. These videos were considered by a panel of judges at Installation Management Command headquarters, and the 12 finalists were chosen from the best.
These finalists will compete against the other contestants in daily performances and be judged on their singing talent and stage presence. Each round of competition will be recorded, and the general public will be able to view and vote for their favorite performer to move ahead in the competition. Every stage of the competition will be scored based on a combination of votes from the public and from the judges.
The initial performance will be available online at www.OpRisingStar.com on Dec. 8, followed by semi-finals and finals on Dec. 10 and 12. The winner of the 2013 competition will be revealed on Dec. 14.
Installation Management Command G9 MWR programs operate and manage non-appropriated child-care facilities, bowling and fitness centers, golf courses, clubs, cafes and restaurants across the Army for the benefit of Soldiers and their families.
Operation Rising Star is one of their programs designed to bolster morale among troops and deliver positive reinforcement to Soldiers, military civilians and family members.
More information about Operation Rising Star, the contestants and how to view the finals can be found at www.armymwr.com.