CSC senior to audition for "The Voice" in Nashville

Culp, a 22-year-old senior, won a “Front of the Line Pass” in a contest CSC hosted last week in partnership with “The Voice.” The Campus Activities Board provided round-trip airfare and lodging for the winner of the contest. He will audition a cappella on Feb. 1 with call backs to sing with a recording possible the following day.

Fourteen CSC students entered the competition organized by The Pit. An estimated crowd of 300 attended the event in the CSC Student Center Ballroom.

Lane Swedberg, president of CAB, and Jennie Robbins, Pit manager, were moderators for the event. Staysha Adams, assistant Pit manager served as the sound technician. The Pit is the section of the CSC Student Center designated for pool tables and ping pong tables.

Zachary Henderson placed second, winning a 16 gb iPod Touch. Shanda Shappell placed third and received a Bluetooth speaker. Both prizes were provided by The Pit.

“We’re excited for Freddy. He is great a representative of CSC,” said Billie Knifong, interim manager of residence life.

Culp, of Mililani, Hawaii, came to Chadron State College on a track scholarship after a year attending Leeward Community College in Hawaii. He runs the 400 meter dash and is a business major.

“I’m excited. This is the first time I’ve entered or won a singing contest. It’s too much to soak in at once. At first I was against it. I don’t like people being compared. We all have different styles. But I was finally talked into entering. When God gives you a talent, you should use it,” Culp said.

In the first round of the competition, all contestants sang for 90 seconds. Culp chose “Can I?” by Coffey Anderson. In his semi-final round, he performed “Pretty Wings” by Maxwell.

He has written lyrics and plays the piano and the ukulele. Nearly 60 of his videos, both original songs and cover songs, can be seen on his YouTube channel. Shortly after arriving at CSC, he was asked to DJ a dance.

“It was a spur of the moment thing. I said I’d do it and then found out I really liked it,” he said.

Culp hails from a musical family. His younger sister entered competitions where she is attending college in California. His father plays the ukulele, his mother sings and his younger brother plays the drums. He and his sister sing and play with a band at church.

Planning for "The Voice" event started in September when students working in the Pit began discussing the idea with Knifong. She worked with her supervisor at the time, Aaron Prestwich, to complete the necessary steps for the college to enter into a partnership with “The Voice.”

“They want more colleges to participate, so their casting coordinator Summer Pennino was very helpful. She returned my calls and answered my questions. The CSC partnership with ‘The Voice’ is a win-win,” Knifong said.

Judges for the event were Jill Pao Pao, Senna Reeves, Libby Uhing and Chris Stein.