"Young ‘Idol’ contestant from Lenox relishes the experience" by Derek Gentile Berkshire Eagle April 12, 2015
LENOX — Out of tens of thousands of hopefuls from around the country, Katherine Winston made it all the way to the top 24.
The 18-year-old Lenox resident recently finished a month-long stint as a contestant on the Fox talent search show ‘‘American Idol,’’ getting further than any other Berkshire County resident has on a national show such as ‘‘Idol.’’
‘‘Honestly, I never expected to get as far as I did’’ she admitted.
‘‘I have absolutely no negative feelings toward the show. I gained so much experience and confidence. I’ve grown so much as an artist and a person. It was an amazing experience.’’
It was also, by Winston’s own admission, enormously nerve-wracking, tension-filled and, for brief bursts of time, triumphant.
For the most part, the contestants were on stage alone. But one aspect of the auditions in Hollywood involved a group performance, where the contestants sang in groups of three or four.
Winston found herself in a bit of a sticky situation at that point.
‘‘Well, all of the artists I was hanging around with got cut before the group stage,’’ she said. ‘‘So I had to scramble.’’
She joined a group of three singers, but they had less than 2 hours to rehearse and figure out parts.
‘‘I probably got about an hour’s sleep,’’ she said. ‘‘People were exhausted.’’
A few days later she played a Welcome Home concert at Lenox Memorial High School. She is booked into the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield for next Saturday....
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