On a bare stage with only a mic, a spotlight and a karaoke CD, they auditioned in front of three professional judges seated in the back of a darkened, empty theatre. Grace Clary, a Tarrytown resident and a recent graduate of Sleepy Hollow High School, was one of them.

That’s the way it started for each of the 126 contestants, ages 13-18, who paid $35 to vie for the crown of the next Westchester Teen Idol. This is the fifth season for the contest which serves as a fund-raiser for PMT Productions, a non-profit theatre, founded in 1947 and based in Pleasantville.

The auditions were held, by appointment on January 9 and 10. Only 25 were chosen to compete at the second level, which will take place on Saturday, February 27, also in the Irvington theatre. All contestants will reprise their first audition song. From that group, five finalists will be selected and they will each sing a second song. One performer will then be judged the final winner and will receive a cash prize, plus gifts from area retail stores.

Applicants came from Westchester, as well as the surrounding tri-state area. For most, it’s their first audition for this contest. Their material spans the whole spectrum of song from standards to pop to Broadway. And, what they all seem to have in common is a calm confidence in their talent and their ability to deliver in front of an audience. Every new audience is a new experience and an opportunity to develop their individual skill and style.

The judges provide a professional, written critique after each individual performance to provide guidance, suggestions and advice.

“I work with the same age group on a daily basis and I am completely blown away by the talent,” observed judge Erica Denler, the vocal director at Hendrick Hudson High School. “It seems to get better and better as time goes on. It’s very exciting.”

Clary, a recent graduate of Sleepy Hollow High School, is one excited teenager who has been notified that she made the cut. She is currently enrolled at Pace University studying, not surprisingly, musical theatre.

“That’s going to be my life,” she stated frankly. “I love it, and this Teen Idol contest gives me another audience.”

While still in high school, Grace appeared in regional, community and off-Broadway theatre. Her last Sleepy Hollow appearance was as Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls.”

John Arrucci, a judge, is a percussionist composer and educator at Princeton University and agrees the talent is getting better and better each year. He acknowledges that there is a need to support this creative energy in young people. “My energy is in teaching and part of that is encouragement.”

Isaac Assor is another cut survivor, a very confident and accomplished senior at New Rochelle High School. This is his second time auditioning for Westchester Teen Idol. Behind him are five years of vocal training, preparing him for roles in “Children of Eden” at the Tarrytown Music Hall and in Aida at the White Plains Performing Arts Center. High School productions include “Oliver, ““Big River,” “Damn Yankees” and “Ragtime.” Actually, he auditioned with a song from “Ragtime”: “Make Them Hear You.” Why that song?

“Well, when I first saw “Ragtime” on Broadway that very dramatic number really got to me. It impressed me so much that I wanted to sing it as my audition piece. And, so I did,” he said.

Anthony Valbiro is a professional actor, singer, dancer and on this occasion, one of the judges. “You’ve got to nurture these new, young performers, to continually see them go forward. Twenty years ago, we would not be here with this level of talent. But, now with the explosion of music and song from performance groups, rock concerts, iTunes and iPods, etc., these young performers are surrounded by stars with a multitude of musical styles. So they strive for their own style and for that they need exposure,” he said.

Scott Brown is a very determined and talented young man from the Stanwich School in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He’s in the seventh grade. But, what is most interesting about Scott

is that he has been composing songs since the fourth grade. In fact, he auditioned with a song he wrote – “We Should Be” – and he made the cut to be one of the 25 finalists. At school he appeared in “Guys and Dolls,” so he does have an appreciation for other composers. How does he account for his early drive to write and perform his own songs? Scott has a simple explanation: “I’ve always been a little outspoken with a strong, outward personality, so I use that part of me to write and sing.”

Underlying this competition is something completely different from just a few years back. After the slap on the back and the congratulations, the question that is asked most frequently is: “Did you have fun?” That’s the heart of the matter. These young folks are getting up there on the stage because it’s something they love and enjoy and they’re having fun doing it.