Blind Teen Advances in Vocal Competition

An Encino vocalist was the Valley’s sole finalist in the Music Center’s ninth annual Spotlight Awards.

Laurie Rubin, 18, will be among the 12 high school students throughout Southern California to compete in six categories at the award’s finals on April 8 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Rubin is a classically trained vocalist who has just begun competing after years spent singing for charity dinners honoring the likes of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Mayor Richard Riordan.

The Oakwood School senior, who also has won national awards and a scholarship to Oberlin Conservatory of Music, said she was moved to try out for the Spotlight Awards this year because of the competition’s reputation.

“It’s the Music Center, and the Dorothy Chandler,” she said. “How could I not?”

Julie Gates, a spokeswoman for the event, said Rubin, who is blind, was given no special consideration because of her disability.

“This was completely based on talent,” she said.

“She made it through four rounds of tough competition.”

The first round attracted more than 800 applicants, 744 of whom were given personal auditions. From those auditions, 60 semifinalists were chosen to take classes with professional artists in February and March.

Those professionals chose 12 as finalists.

Rubin, who will compete against one other vocalist, will either be named winner or runner-up in her category at the contest’s end in April, Gates said.