With
a song in her heart
By NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
When Katie Romano was in kindergarten she loved to sing into her toy microphone
so much that her teacher predicted she’d be on television one day.
That prediction came true last month, when Romano was chosen to participate
on an NBC-TV reality show, “Clash of the Choirs,” which ran
from Dec. 17 through Dec. 20.
Romano, who is a member of Bethany — a music ministry based at St.
Titus Church in East Norriton — auditioned for the nationally acclaimed
singer Patti LaBelle a month prior to the show.
She and her fellow choristers were chosen by LaBelle, who is from Philadelphia,
to compete against choirs whose members were selected by other popular
singers from their own home towns.
“It was such an amazing experience —professionally, physically
and spiritually,” said Romano, a senior majoring in music at Immaculata
University.
“Our choir was centered on Our Lord, which was really awesome,”
she said. “We prayed every day, three to four times a day. We even
had a worship hour at one point, when we had a break and we all started
singing Gospel music, shouting out praises.”
That devotion was reflected in the music the choir sang for the contest,
including, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand” and
“Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
“It was not what I expected — I thought it was just going
to be a singing contest,” Romano said. “The music was centered
on God, and it’s what I think kept us strong, kept us together,
and brought us to a whole new level of spirituality and fellowship.”
LaBelle challenged the choir members to do their best, Romano added: “She
wanted us to win really badly. She had three sisters who died of cancer,
so it meant a lot to her to bring back money to our charity, the Abramson’s
Cancer Center in Philadelphia.”
Other competing choirs included one from Cincinnati that was put together
by Nick Lachey; one from New Haven, Conn., formed by Michael Bolton; one
from Oklahoma City, put together by Blake Shelton, and one from Houston
whose members were selected by Kelly Rowland.
The TV show relied on its audience to choose a winner, and the grand prize
of $250,000 went to Lachey’s Cincinnati choir. Philadelphia came
in second. Each choir went home with $50,000 for its favorite charity.
After their television debut, Romano and her colleagues went on to sing
in LaBelle’s show in New York City on the weekend before Christmas,
and they will sing again at her sold-out show on New Year’s Eve
in Atlantic City, N.J.
Romano said she realized God gave her the gift of song to praise Him when
she was a little girl. She began singing at Mass with the St. Francis
of Assisi Parish school choir in Norristown, and went on to perform in
musicals at Kennedy-Kenrick High School.
She decided early that she would dedicate her life to music, and although
there have been times when Romano has doubted her calling, her experience
with LaBelle’s choir has re-inspired her.
“I think that God has a plan for all of us,” she said. “He
really put it on my heart that, in some way, shape or form, singing is
what I’m meant to do.”
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith can be reached at npozo@adphila.org
or (215) 965-4614.