Former AMERICAN IDOL Judge Kara DioGuardi Announces Tri-State Rocks Event, 12/3

A Grammy-nominated performer and songwriter chose Maria Fareri Children's Hospital as the venue to announce the debut of a benefit vocal competition December 3rd at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.

Westchester native Kara DioGuardi, who was a judge for two seasons of Fox television's American Idol, said the inaugural Tri-State Rocks show is open to aspiring singers between the ages of 12 and 21 living in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The winner will receive a two-hour mentoring session with DioGuardi, a Berklee College of Music Summer Sessions scholarship, and a $500 cash prize. The runner-up will receive a $250 cash prize and a Berklee College of Music Summer Sessions scholarship.

All proceeds from the competition will support Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, Kids in Crisis and ArtWorks. DioGuardi, who co-owns Arthouse Publishing, also performed as Roxy Hart on Broadway in the musical Chicago.

"This is about youth and spotlighting the talent of young people in our area,' DioGuardi said. "I am so excited to bring this event to the tri-state area where I am from. I love music and nothing could be better than using music as a vehicle for advocacy and for supporting great causes that benefit the lives of our youth.'

DioGuardi announced Tri-State Rocks before participating as a guest "judge" for the 11th annual Ladybug Idol talent show at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network. Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, located in Valhalla, New York, is the children's hospital for New York's Hudson Valley and Fairfield County, Connecticut. It cares for the region's most seriously ill and injured children.

At the hospital, children, staff and nursing students entertained an appreciative audience including DioGuardi who said she was "overwhelmed" by the heartwarming event and the joyful exuberance of the performers.

DioGuardi's hit songs include Walkaway, Sober and Ain't No Other Man. Her songs have appeared on more than 160 million albums, having written for Pink, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Celine Dion and Britney Spears, among many others.

Entries from Tri-State Rocks will be accepted from October 20 through November 20, 2017. For more information, interested artists should visit http://tristaterocks.org/contestants.

The Capitol Theatre competition will begin at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, December 3. Doors will open at 4:45 p.m. for a pre-show with local DJs the Vargas Brothers. VIP tickets are also available and include a pre-show reception and meet-and-greet with the judges and host starting at 3:30 p.m.

In addition to DioGuardi, judges will include Pete Ganbarg, Executive Vice President and Head of A&R for Atlantic Records and Leslie Stifelman, Music Director and Conductor of the award-winning Broadway hit musical, Chicago. Z100's Maxwell will host the Capitol Theatre competition.

Tri-State Rocks is presented by Inspired Nation, a non-profit that fosters young talent, builds community, and raises money and awareness for local youth-oriented charities. The event is sponsored by the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, iHeartRadio, Westchester Magazine, Moffly Media and the NAMM Foundation. Inspired Nation is sponsored by Atlantic Records, the Berklee College of Music, Universal Music Group, Arthouse Entertainment, iHeartRadio, and BMI.

More details can be found at www.tristaterocks.org, www.karadioguardi.com and www.thecapitoltheatre.com.

About Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network

Maria Fareri Children's Hospital is the children's hospital for New York's Hudson Valley region and Fairfield County, Connecticut. Located in Valhalla, NY, this 136-bed advanced pediatrics facility cares for the region's most seriously ill and injured children including those in need of cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, hematology and oncology treatments, organ transplants and other specialty pediatric services. Maria Fareri Children's Hospital is also home to the area's only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Level I pediatric trauma and burn care programs and its Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. For more information on Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, interested parties can visit WestchesterMedicalCenter.org/MFCH or follow the hospital at Facebook.com/MFCHatWMC and Twitter.com/MFCHatWMC.

About Westchester Medical Center Health Network

The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 12,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org.