Contest seeks the Voice of an Angel

The Voice of an Angel singing opposition returns to Miami-Dade with unlock auditions programmed for this Saturday.

The Voice of an Angel singing competition is back -- and superior to facing.

The home singing challenge, which began nearly four years ago with five home Catholic high schools, has now gone universal.This time, the rivalry is not only increasing beyond its local and state boundaries, making stops in upstate New York and Los Angeles, but also auditioning singers of other Christian denominations, age groups and Christian musical genres.

Executive producer Chris Wills, 28, a Miami native and graduate of St. Brendan High School and Barry University, says the audition will be difficult. "There's a lot of incredible gift universally," said Wills, who will serve as a judge alongside singer Chris Fedun, former member of the Christian pop group Jump5.

As in the earlier, 12 members will be chosen to move on to the semifinals in November. The grand finale will be Dec. 22. "We're doing things a lot diverse this time around," Wills said. "More than a 30-second audition, we want to get a better sense of who these singers are as people. While Voice of an Angel is a singing competition, our previous winners have shown us that to succeed in this process, you not only have to reach people with your voice but also be able to reach them with your heart."

Past winners include: Caro Fernandez, 20, of Miami; Amanda Lopez, 17, of Miami; and Deanna Pavese, 16, of Fort Myers. Fernandez, the Season One winner, will host the Miami auditions. She said she's thankful for all that she's erudite since captivating the competition in 2007. The winner this year will surely have a lot to look ahead to, she said.

"The opposition has evolved so much, so when they win, a lot more doors will unwrap for them," Fernandez said. "It's gotten a lot more publicity over the years and a lot more people know about it now, and because a lot more people know about it, anything can happen."

The winner at the end of the period will have a possibility to collaborate in the Voice of an Angel CD, as well as the chance to participate in the music video. With auditions fresh off their first round, which took place last weekend in Stony Point, N.Y., the next stop is Florida.

Auditions in Miami are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Morning Star Renewal Center, 7275 SW 124th St., Pinecrest. Call backs will be Sunday.