Barnstable Band Boosters
GOLDEN MOMENT – Barnstable’s own Siobhan Magnus is swept up in a hug by close friend Brendan McNamara after receiving her golden ticket to Hollywood during Boston auditions for Season 9 of American Idol, which aired Jan. 12. Looking on and cheering are more of Magnus’s entourage, including her parents, a sister and an uncle, as well as friends Stephanie and Greg Gianno. 
Siobhan Magnus takes talents to Hollywood
Siobhan Magnus considers herself a “babysitter extraordinaire.” If all goes well for the Barnstable High graduate, she could also be the next American Idol.
Last summer, Magnus made the trip to Boston where she was among several thousand people waiting to audition.
Lending support were close friends and fellow BHS grads Brendan McNamara, Stephanie Gianno, Gianno’s brother Greg and various members of her family, including her mother, father, a sister and an uncle.
Magnus got her chance to impress Idol judges Simon Cowell, Victoria Beckham, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.
According to the Jan. 12 premiere of the show, it worked, and Magnus was given a coveted golden ticket. She had passed the first round of auditions and would be traveling to Hollywood to continue competing.
Though Magnus’ audition performance wasn’t part of the two-hour kickoff show of AI Season 9, the scores of fans watching from televisions across Barnstable (and the Cape) were able to catch a glimpse of the rising star sharing her excitement with family and friends at the show’s end.
“I’ve never felt anything like when she walked out with that ticket,” said Stephanie Gianno. “All of a sudden the whole room’s energy just changed. Before I knew it everyone was screaming and jumping and hugging anything and anyone they could find to hug. It was amazing. We were all ecstatic. It felt like we were with her in that room and a weight was lifted off of us as well.”
According to her Idol interview video (http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_9/golden_ticket_interviews/siobhan_magnus/), Magnus decided to audition after much encouragement from friends.
“I auditioned for American Idol this season obviously because I love to sing, but I also figured, why not take the chance?” she said. “I have nothing to lose.”
She sets herself apart from other Idol hopefuls by discussing her work ethic.
“I’m a very responsible person,” she said. “I’ve experienced a lot where I’ve been forced to grow up and handle things that are very stressful.”
She feels she’s able to handle the pressures that might come with Idol fame, and meet the expectations of judges and fans.
Magnus reveals on-camera that the first time she sang in front of people was in fourth grade.
“We had to be in the fourth-grade chorus,” she said. “For our spring concert they were doing auditions for a solo.”
Magnus sang “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” from the musical Annie.
Local fans will recall that she continued to impress crowds with her soulful pipes in the BHS chorus, and in Barnstable High School Drama Productions such as Barnum, Fiddler on the Roof and The Wizard of Oz.
She also sang with friends Ralph Bousquet, Matt Kohler and Jordan Bonina in a local band called “Lunar Valve,” performing in a number of area venues.
Should Magus prove successful on Idol, her performance venues will certainly expand. On Jan. 10 Magnus left for Idol’s next round in
“She left Sunday for ‘Hollywood Week’,” said Gianno. “We’re hoping we don’t see her around here for a little while.”
NEW CREW – The West Barnstable Fire Department (WBFD) added eight new volunteer firefighters to the department. The new firefighters – (L-R) Chuck Marshall, Dave Maki, Rachel Foley, Steve Coombs, Hunter Tyrell, Alyssa Beaty, Jeff Mutrie and Ryan Jones – were sworn in before a crowd of family, friends and firefighters at a ceremony at the West Barnstable Fire Station Jan. 12. They recently completed 150 hours of basic firefighting training at the
Cape woman gets Golden Ticket to Hollywood
By Stephanie Vosk
January 14, 2010 12:08 PM
A 2008 Barnstable High School graduate has moved on to the second round of the auditions for American Idol. Siobhan Magnus earned a Golden Ticket at Idol's Boston tryouts over the summer, giving her a pass to Hollywood Week, according to the show's Web site. The audition show aired on Fox Tuesday night.
In a post-audition interview featured on Idol's Web site, Magnus says that friends and family members convinced her to overcome her shyness and audition. “I'm a very responsible person. I've experienced a lot where I've been forced to grow up and be able to handle things that are very stressful and I think I have a pretty good tolerance for pressure and meeting expectations,” she says on the video. “I hope that's something that sets me apart.” In the brief appearance, she also talks about her love for scary movies, her apprenticeship at a glass blowing shop and her vast experience as a babysitter.
Her first time singing in public was when she performed “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” from “Annie” at a fourth grade concert, she says. A fan of the show, Magnus says that watching Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino sing “Summertime” while sitting on the stage “sent chills through my whole body.” “That was one of the most incredible performances I think throughout the entire series,” she says.
Hollywood Week is being filmed this month, according to news reports. The Hollywood round episodes will began airing Feb. 9, according to the Web site. Throughout the week, the judges will narrow the field to 24 contestants who will make it to the live performance round.
