American Idol Season 9 Singer, Katie Stevens, On Ellen

April 19, 2010 by Masterclass Lady 2 Comments


Katie Stevens and Ellen DeGeneres

Picture Courtesy Of The Ellen Show

Katie Stevens appeared on Ellen today and sang a sumptuous version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow“.

I wonder if she was planning to perform this song for the Top 7 “Inspirational Songs Theme”  this week?

She phrases this song quite differently from the many versions that I have heard of this song and, in doing so, fully demonstrates the amazing quality of her vocal  and musical gifts.

Her interview segment with Ellen was very sweet and refreshingly funny. Her random comment about Simon was just so hilarious and demonstrated her youthful candor and inquisitiveness. Ellen – as only Ellen can do – immediately picked up on this! What a cute exchange of dialogue.

I loved and appreciated Ellen’s acknowledgment of Katie’s innate talent at the conclusion of her number.

Also, I did sense a country flavor in Katie’s rendition of this song – it was slight, but it was definitely there, so maybe Simon was on to something.  He did feel that Katie’s career gravitated toward the country-pop genre, but that may have been wistful thinking on his part.  It’s too early to tell.  I think she has many sides to her artistic persona and, as the years unfold, so will the full and complete potential of her artistry.

If you haven’t already clicked on a link or the picture accompanying this blog topic, you can watch see and hear Katie’s interview and performance on The Ellen Show here.

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American Idol, American Idol Season 9, Ellen DeGeneres, Entertainment, Katie Stevens, Music, Television

About Masterclass Lady

Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
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2 Responses to “American Idol Season 9 Singer, Katie Stevens, On Ellen”

  1. J April 20, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    The start of the song was very reminiscent of Eva Cassidy’s version, and as the song kicked in, the phrasing was very similar to Katharine McPhee’s version.

    However, I really like how Katie pulled and stretched the phrases at parts while staying within the meter. I’m not entirely certain whether she did it on purpose, but she did it very skillfully, so she may have done so intentionally! That element of timing really elevated her phrasing and made the version her own. Good job, Katie! =)

    For reference, here’s a pre-Idol version of “Over the Rainbow.” In this version, the phrasing is just like Katharine McPhee’s version. (You can tell with the a cappella intro and the instrumental she used as well.)

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  1. Vocal Masterclass Discussion For American Idol Season 9 Top 7 Show: Inspirational Songs « MasterclassLady.Com - April 19, 2010

    […] Also, upon reading the list, it confirmed in my mind that Katie Stevens did indeed select “Over The Rainbow” as her Top 7 number. She performed this song so beautifully on the Ellen Show earlier today. […]

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