Harrison Senior Wins Teen Idol Competition

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Harrison’s own Cayla Pettinato, a senior at Harrison High School, won the Westchester Teen Idol competition this Saturday at the Irvington Town Hall Theater.  

Back in September, Pettinato was chosen to be one of the top 25 semifinalists from hundreds of participants not just from Westchester County, but from all over the area. In the final performance of the semifinal round, Pettinato wowed the judges with her rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl and was named one of the five finalists.

The remaining three boys and two girls were judged on a scale of one to five by three Broadway stars in the areas of voice, acting, showmanship, styling and movement. Once again, Pettinato drew the final performance spot and selected the piece “Gimme Gimme” from the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, a song she mastered as the lead in Harrison High School’s production this past spring.

“Cayla won it on sportsmanship,” proclaimed Chris Jamison, a professional who has appeared in two Tony-award winning Broadway shows and was the only female judge at the competition. “I gave the first finalist all 5’s like Cayla, but she stole our hearts in the end.”

Pettinato has submitted her college applications and plans to select a college or university where she can focus on her academic concentration while spending her free time performing in student-run musical theater productions on campus.