WINTER HARBOR, Maine — Even on crutches, Katie Higgins owned the Hammond Hall stage Saturday night.
Featuring an impressive and unique vocal range and a commanding presence, the 16-year-old from Sullivan won over a panel of judges that included Kara DioGuardi of TV’s “American Idol” to win the first-ever Schoodic Idol.
Higgins’ rendition of the classic folk song “The House of the Rising Sun” topped 12 other finalists in a musical competition that featured a wide variety of performances and — according to DioGuardi — some amazing talent.
“[Higgins] had the most commercial aspect to her voice, but it was distinct. You could feel her soul when she sang,” DioGuardi said backstage Saturday after the competition. “To be 16 and have that ability is pretty impressive.”
Higgins said she couldn’t remember when she first started singing, only that, for as long as she could remember, she has felt comfortable performing in front of an audience. She has been playing with her parents in the Higgins Family Band for years, and her mom, Lisa, provided the guitar accompaniment Saturday.
“I picked a song that I was comfortable with but one that showed good range,” Higgins said after posing for pictures with DioGuardi and the two other judges — Suzanne Nance, a radio host for Maine Public Broadcasting and acclaimed opera singer, and Chandler Williams, a Maine native who has starred in several musicals on Broadway. “I guess it’s kind of a big deal.”
Higgins said she was surprised to win and humbled at the chance to meet DioGuardi, a well-regarded singer and songwriter who has gained fame as a judge on Fox’s popular “American Idol.” The senior at Sumner Memorial High School said she hopes to move to Nashville, Tenn., after she graduates to try to make it as a singer.
The crowning of Higgins as the first Schoodic Idol culminated a long night of music, conversation and laughs inside the historic Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor, which is home to Schoodic Arts for All.
Mary Laury, executive director of the nonprofit arts groups, said the Schoodic Idol event has been going on for weeks with semifinal performances but developed a life of its own when DioGuardi agreed to judge the finals.
“We’ve been sold out for days,” Laury said Saturday. “This has exceeded any expectations we could have had.”
DioGuardi, who has a home in Gouldsboro and met her husband, Mike McCuddy, in Maine, said she didn’t hesitate when she was asked to judge.
“I love it here,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to get people interested in the arts.”
For Laury and others involved in Schoodic Arts for All, the night also was a huge financial success. By night’s end, more than $20,000 was raised. Half will benefit Schoodic Arts, and the other half will be donated to the Channing Chapel Preservation Society in Winter Harbor.
While the event was a fundraiser, the more than 300 people who packed into the intimate concert hall were clearly there for the music.
Beginning with Chris Ross’ version of “Hannah,” by Maine native Ray Lamontagne, the show was a hit.
The songs ranged from classic rock (“Lights,” by Journey) to country (“Stay” by Sugarland) to opera (“Quando Me’n Vo” from Puccini’s “La Boheme”). Two finalists — Newbold Noyes of Sorrento and Hailey Cates-Wright of Cutler — performed songs they had written themselves.
Noyes, 64, played a handmade guitar and sang a song called “If Wishes Were Horses,” which he wrote in the late 1970s to help his children fall asleep.
“Everything about you is kind of cool,” DioGuardi said. “The minute you walked out here and started busting jokes, I thought ‘Who is this cat?’”
Cates-Wright, 14, was the youngest finalist and sang and played guitar on a song she wrote called “Running.” Her voice was part Jewel, part Tracy Chapman, part Shakira.
“I can’t imagine someone 14 could put that together,” DioGuardi said.
Perhaps the most fun part of the night came during Michael Bernier’s performance of Alan Jackson’s “Midnight in Montgomery.” Bernier, a local lobsterman by day, donned a cowboy hat, flannel shirt and bluejeans and sang in a deep voice that suited his song choice.
Nance playfully flirted with Bernier from the judges table and said if she were his song coach, she would hang off his shoulders during the high notes to get him to loosen up. After a gentle nudge from the audience, Nance demonstrated and then DioGuardi and Williams followed suit.
“I’m a winner already,” Bernier quipped.
Jay Emlen of Pretty Marsh wrapped up the performances with Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
“If I was on an airplane going down, I’d want you sitting next to me telling me everything’s going to be fine,” joked DioGuardi.
All the performers received praise from the judges, but it was Higgins who stood out. By winning Schoodic Idol, Higgins earned a contract to perform next year as part of the Schoodic Arts for All Emerging Artists series.
Although she sang a cover song Saturday, the 16-year-old said she’s working on writing some original material. Could she convince DioGuardi to write her a song?
“That would be unbelievable,” Higgins said.
Laury and Peter Drinkwater, local business owners who came up with the idea to ask DioGuardi to be a judge, said they were overwhelmed by the part-time Gouldsboro resident’s generosity. Once the evening was over, DioGuardi stayed behind and posed for pictures and signed autographs
Nance, who had never met DioGuardi before Saturday, called her fellow judge delightful.