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‘American Idol’ contestants set to perform

ELKINS — Two “American Idol” contestants will take the stage for the Deja vu Music Festival as Davis & Elkins College again teams up with Randolph County businesses to present a concert benefiting the Elkins/Randolph County YMCA.

Lauren Alaina, runner-up of the 10th season, will headline the May 5 performance with opening act Trent Harmon, winner of the 15th season.

The concert will get underway at 7:30 p.m. at the Claude King Davis Memorial Plaza on the D&E campus. Tickets are $35 and go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. Friday. Purchases may be made online at www.dewv.edu/arts-entertainment, and between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 304-637-1255 or in person at the Augusta Box Office in Jennings Randolph Hall.

For the third consecutive year, Davis & Elkins College has partnered with area businesses to sponsor a music show with proceeds going directly to the Elkins/Randolph County YMCA. Sponsors for this spring’s concert are Allegheny Insurance, Elkins Automotive/Fordland, Elkins Distributing, MegaCorp Logistics and J.F. Allen Co.

“West Virginia’s own Nick Saban is credited with the quote: ‘You can’t win together if you don’t work together.’ That quote sums up the relationship between Davis & Elkins College and the Elkins/Randolph County YMCA,” said Sid Gillispie, executive director of the Elkins/Randolph County YMCA. “From hosting Zumba classes and youth basketball on campus to major concerts year in and year out, we have a truly special relationship.”

The partnership with area businesses gave D&E the opportunity to present two up-and-coming country artists, both with current chart-topping hits. They join a host of other top names in the music industry who have appeared at the college.

“When one looks at the Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of Feb. 25, 2017, you will find the following acts that have passed through, or will pass through, Davis & Elkins College in the Top 40: Dustin Lynch, No. 5; Blake Shelton, No. 8; Rhiannon Giddens, No. 12 with Eric Church; Lauren Alaina, No. 15; Dierks Bentley, No. 18; Lady Antebellum, No. 28; Chris Lane, No. 30; and Trent Harmon, No. 33,” said Scott Goddard, D&E vice president for student affairs.

Alaina earned the spot with the title track from her most recent album, “Road Less Traveled.” She’s also set to star in her first movie by the same name.

Her success doesn’t stop there. Alaina recently was nominated for the 2017 Academy of Country Music New Female Vocalist of the Year along with CAM, Maren Morris and Brandy Clark.

Recognized by Rolling Stone as a “Must-See Act,” Alaina joins Martina McBride for the CMT Next Women of Country Love Unleashed Tour 2017 beginning this month. Throughout the summer, she will tour the United States with Luke Bryan.

Since capturing America’s hearts when she appeared on Season 10 of “American Idol” in 2011, Alaina was nominated for a number of Teen Choice and CMT Music Awards and toured with several big names in country music including Jason Aldean and Alan Jackson.

“I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I will put the list of successful acts that have performed at D&E over the years up against any other small college/university in the country. We might be a small college but we do big things,” Goddard said.

Harmon, the reigning “American Idol” title holder, opens the show. His hit single “There’s a Girl” from his self-titled EP is currently climbing the charts.

Following Harmon’s success on “American Idol,” the entertainer earned a spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart just one week after the show ended in early 2016 with “Falling,” written by country star Keith Urban and songwriters Dallas Davidson and Brett James.

The 26-year-old musician from Mississippi has been busy recording an album he has described as “country-soul.”

Now in its 37th year, Deja vu started as a “last blast” for the students and has hosted many top entertainers.

“At the center of the event is the students of Davis & Elkins College, it is truly an event by the students for the students,” Goddard said. “Friday,

May 5th will have a community focus, while Saturday, May 6th will have a college student focus. It should be a great weekend for everyone.”

In the case of inclement weather, the show will be moved to Myles Center for the Arts Harper-McNeeley Auditorium on the college campus. Additional information is available by calling 304-637-1255.

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