Keep The Choice Alive and Well
Donation protected
As you may or may not know, Lovin’ Cup has now hosted a decade’s worth of annual vocal competitions; seven seasons of Lovin’ Cup Idol and three seasons of The Choice. What started out as a fun experiment (“hey, look at all these talented people playing our open mics and stuff… what if we did an American Idol style contest with them?”) has blossomed into adventure we couldn’t have possibly imagined. Year after year, our city has continued to produce an unstoppable wealth of talent that we never knew existed. While we were already aware of all the amazing local bands that grace the stages of Rochester, we had no idea just how many phenomenal singers were hiding in the shadows – many of whom had never set foot on a stage before. It became our goal to bring as many of these individuals into the light as possible and provide them a platform to train, grow and ultimately shine. When we felt Lovin’ Cup Idol wasn’t enough, we decided to step things up to a whole new level with The Choice, where several of Rochester’s established musical artists get to serve as “celebrity coaches” by mentoring a singer over the course of eight weeks and providing them with the tools and confidence they need to succeed. We couldn’t be happier with the results…
“I totally gave up on music (outside of church) after my freshman year of college as a music major, and then I auditioned for The Choice about five years later in 2017, not expecting to be selected. But when I was chosen to continue on, it built my confidence each week that I participated, and restored the passion I had always had for music when I was younger. I am now incredibly active in the local music scene, and many of my best friends are musicians, that I wouldn’t have even met otherwise. I never would have thought to pursue music again if I hadn’t auditioned for The Choice. It quite literally changed my entire life.”
- Kara Fink (finalist of The Choice, winner of The Write-Off songwriting competition)
Nothing makes us happier than seeing stories such as Kara’s. It is our honor to serve our city and help foster the growth of the next amazing wave of musicians, who in turn will continue to inspire and entertain all of us. Not to mention, it creates an exhilarating and free night of entertainment on Monday nights, leading many to dub it as their “three day weekend” that helps overcome the winter blues. But as we’ve always strived to keep the night free of admission, we are once again reminded of the numerous costs required to pull off an event of this caliber. In addition to the $1,000 grand prize and weekly runner-up prizes, there are the house musicians and coaches who deserve every bit of compensation for their time. There are additional staff, event crew and sound engineers who need to be hired. There are videographers and photographers commissioned to capture all of the magic. There are posters, Facebook ads and other promotional items. The list goes on.
As we enter the eleventh year of this crazy adventure, we turn to you, our dear community, to ask for your help in keeping this beloved event alive and free of admission. We offer two options for showing your support; through this Kickstarter campaign or through a voluntary donation at the door. Both options are totally nonobligatory; we understand that everyone faces different economic hardships. Any amount of support is appreciated and no donation is too small. What is guaranteed, however, is that your contribution will be going towards a
wonderful cause… helping to cultivate the next generation of Rochester’s incredible music scene.
With love and gratitude,
Lovin’ Cup
“I totally gave up on music (outside of church) after my freshman year of college as a music major, and then I auditioned for The Choice about five years later in 2017, not expecting to be selected. But when I was chosen to continue on, it built my confidence each week that I participated, and restored the passion I had always had for music when I was younger. I am now incredibly active in the local music scene, and many of my best friends are musicians, that I wouldn’t have even met otherwise. I never would have thought to pursue music again if I hadn’t auditioned for The Choice. It quite literally changed my entire life.”
- Kara Fink (finalist of The Choice, winner of The Write-Off songwriting competition)
Nothing makes us happier than seeing stories such as Kara’s. It is our honor to serve our city and help foster the growth of the next amazing wave of musicians, who in turn will continue to inspire and entertain all of us. Not to mention, it creates an exhilarating and free night of entertainment on Monday nights, leading many to dub it as their “three day weekend” that helps overcome the winter blues. But as we’ve always strived to keep the night free of admission, we are once again reminded of the numerous costs required to pull off an event of this caliber. In addition to the $1,000 grand prize and weekly runner-up prizes, there are the house musicians and coaches who deserve every bit of compensation for their time. There are additional staff, event crew and sound engineers who need to be hired. There are videographers and photographers commissioned to capture all of the magic. There are posters, Facebook ads and other promotional items. The list goes on.
As we enter the eleventh year of this crazy adventure, we turn to you, our dear community, to ask for your help in keeping this beloved event alive and free of admission. We offer two options for showing your support; through this Kickstarter campaign or through a voluntary donation at the door. Both options are totally nonobligatory; we understand that everyone faces different economic hardships. Any amount of support is appreciated and no donation is too small. What is guaranteed, however, is that your contribution will be going towards a
wonderful cause… helping to cultivate the next generation of Rochester’s incredible music scene.
With love and gratitude,
Lovin’ Cup
Organizer
Leslie Z. Ward
Organizer
Rochester, NY
