The New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. joined Artist in Residence Irvin Mayfield to unveil the much-anticipated NOLA Idol competition last week. NOLA Idol, a citywide competitive showcase, is aimed at engaging communities to spotlight the exceptional vocal talent within New Orleans.

Led by Grammy Award winner Irvin Mayfield, NOLA IDOL is a “Call for Artists” for the entire community, offering participants the chance to compete, create a citywide choir, and solidify New Orleans’ reputation as a “Singer’s City.”

“NOLA Idol is a unique opportunity for the city to directly engage with our incredible communities of talent across the entire town,” said Barabino. “We’ve been working with Mr. Mayfield throughout his residency to develop a program that can truly showcase the wealth of creativity we have in town, so this is a very special launch.”

The NOLA Idol competition will unfold across three rounds of in-person and online auditions, celebrity coaching sessions, three semi-finalist performances, and one culminating showcase where a panel of judges will select this year’s NOLA Idol. The performances will be held at WYES’ state-of-the-art Kormann Performance Studio, with the final showcase including performances by Mr. Mayfield alongside double platinum recording artist and American Idol finalist Haley Reinhart and four-time Grammy Award winner PJ Morton.

“One of our primary goals through this new suite of NORD programming is to promote the role that New Orleans plays in the world,” saidMayfield. “As a people, we are cultural leaders that inspire and expand human potential. My hope is that this program will help unearth just how many leaders our town has.”

At Wednesday’s announcement, Barabino and Mayfield were also joined by local music legends David Batiste and Cyril Neville, who were honored as NORD “NOLA Idols.”

In addition to the main competition, NORD will be forming a city-wide choir to perform at various events. The winner of “NOLA IDOL” will receive cash prizes, professional coaching, performance opportunities at festivals, and more.

For more information on NORD’s NOLA Idol program, or to register, interested individuals can visit the NORDC website.