Stencia Bastien ’23 won the 16th annual Sing It to the Heights competition for her performance of “Listen” by Beyoncé.
Stencia Bastien '23 won the 2020 Sing It to the Heights competition. (Yiting Chen)
The “American Idol”-style singing competition raises funds for the music program at Saint Columbkille Partnership School, a Catholic elementary school in Brighton operated by Saint Columbkille Parish, the Archdiocese of Boston, and Boston College. This year’s event, held in Robsham Theater on February 25, yielded $3,629.
Proceeds from previous Sing It to the Heights competitions have made it possible for Saint Col's to establish and sustain a music program for K-8 students, purchase musical instruments, and provide free music lessons to students.
This year’s judges were St. Ignatius Church Associate Pastor Donald MacMillan, S.J., Cesar Muziotti, S.J., and School of Theology and Ministry student Eric Immel, S.J.
Bastien, one of 10 BC students selected to participate after an auditioning process, is a marketing major in the Carroll School of Management. Never having been trained in singing, she was very nervous about performing in front of a large crowd.
“During the competition I was really scared that I would forget the lyrics,” said Bastien, “but my friends in the crowd helped me to calm down and just feel the music.”
The other undergraduates competing this year were Korinne Arenas ’22 (Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, communication major), Tommy Boyce ’21 (Carroll School of Management, marketing and business analytics), Sophia Gardner ’22 (Carroll School, information systems, accounting for finance and consulting), Francesca Giangiulio ’23 (Morrissey College, English, theater, art history), Kaitlin Meeks ’20 (Morrissey College, physics), Jack Peterson ’20 (Morrissey College, biology and economics), Will Riley ’21 (Morrissey College, philosophy), Max Schenkel ’22 (Morrisey College, neuroscience, studio art, finance minor), and A.J. Singh ’23 (Carroll School, finance and computer science). Singh and Meeks came in second place and third place, respectively.
Choir students from Saint Columbkille Partnership School performed during the concert, as did last year’s winner, Tate Haynes ’21.
Sing It to the Heights is sponsored by the Emerging Leader Program, Robsham Theater, the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Christine Balquist | University Communications | March 2020