November 18, 2009
Six finalists remain in Operation Rising Star singing contest
By Tim Hipps
FMWRC Public Affairs
FORT BELVOIR, Va. – Three Army wives, two Soldiers and an Airman advanced to the finals of the 2009 Operation Rising Star singing contest on Nov. 17, following 2 hours of online voting that counted 50 percent in the elimination process.
The finalists are Lisa Pratt of Fort Carson, Colo.; Thea Agnew of Fort Campbell, Ky.; Sam Tang of Fort Irwin, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Chad Kneller of Fort Bragg, N.C.; Capt. Donald Williamson of Bamberg, Germany; and Airman 1st Class Jamie Jarman, who qualified at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Pratt sang Faith Hill’s “There Will Come a Day” in the second round of semifinal competition Nov. 16 at Wallace Theater, where the show is being filmed by the Pentagon Channel. Agnew advanced with Trisha Yearwood’s “How Do I Live,” and Tang sang Jennifer Hudson’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Kneller advanced with “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith. Williamson, a chaplain at the U.S. Army Garrison in Bamberg, sang Josh Groban’s “You Lift Me Up.” Jarman performed Roberta Flack’s classic “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
The six finalists will perform Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. at Wallace Theater, where all shows are free and open to the public. That Army Entertainment Division-produced show will air Nov. 19 on the Pentagon Channel and the voting window will then open for 2 hours at www.OpRisingStar.com, where show times for all areas are listed.
The winner will be revealed during the final show Nov. 20 at Wallace Theater.