Tessas get a shot at stardom
TWO Australians, both named Tessa, are in the finals of the Hallelujah global Jewish singing competition.
TWO Australians, both named Tessa, are in the finals of the Hallelujah global Jewish singing competition.
Sydney-based Tessa Rosenberg and Tessa Pase will compete in Israel next month for a shot at fame against 28 other singers from around the world.
Thousands of singers between the ages of 16 and 28 entered the competition by uploading a video of themselves singing on YouTube. The top 30 will be flown to Israel for the finals.
Story continues after video
JNTV: Who wants to be a Jewish rock star?
For more videos, go to JNTV
Rosenberg said she auditioned for the competition to have a bit of fun while she was in Israel earlier this year.
“We didn’t care if we got into the finals, it was just for an experience,” Rosenberg said.
She forgot about the competition until July 1, when she received a text message from her mum saying she was in the finals.
“I looked at my phone and I was so surprised,” she said. “It will be great fun because there are so many nationalities so it will give me the chance to meet some great people.”
The two Tessas will spend three weeks in Israel taking singing lessons, rehearsing with top Israeli musicians and sightseeing. On August 25, they will sing at the final concert in front of thousands of people in Ramat Hasharon.
The winner will receive a contract to perform in front of Jewish communities throughout the world and to sing a duet with a top Israeli artist, which will be played on Israeli national radio.
Pase said a singing contract would be a dream.
“I think being a singer for life would be very hard, but since I love singing so much it would be amazing if I could make that my job,” she said.
The young starlet has been uploading clips to YouTube for more than a year under the name PunkySchmuck.
“One of my friends that I met told me about the competition and I just put my video on the Facebook page and then I got an email saying I was selected as a finalist,” Pase said.
The Australians will be competing against performers from England, Belgium, America, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Turkey, Canada, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Ukraine and Israel.
JOSHUA LEVI
Caption: Tessa Rosenberg. Photo: Ofer Levy
comments