미네토카 고등학교 졸업생인 프랭키 토레스(‘18)는 올여름 열린 ‘미네토카 학교 전 학년·전 친구 재회 행사’에서 자신의 밴드 ‘미드나이트 램블러’와 함께 노래할 기회를 포기해야 했을 때 가슴이 아팠다. 당시에는 그 소식을 알릴 수 없었지만, 그 이유는 NBC의 노래 경연 프로그램 ‘더 보이스( The Voice)’ 시즌 26에 참가자로 나서 자신의 노래와 무대 실력을 키우고, 많은 새로운 친구들을 사귈 수 있는 흥미진진한 기회가 주어졌기 때문이었다.

One of her favorite moments of the experience was her blind audition, where she achieved a rare “four chair turn.”  After singing “Magic Man,” all of the show’s judges sought to add her to their teams. “It was so amazing. I was not expecting the four chair turn or how much they were fighting for me,” said Torres. “That was my best experience on the stage. It was also fun to have Snoop Dogg ask me about Lake Minnetonka and Prince.” 

Torres, who attended Minnetonka Schools from grades K-12 at Clear Springs Elementary, Minnetonka Middle School West, and the High School, has always had a love of music and performance. She was very involved in choir in high school, participating in Chamber, Concert, and Dona Voce, the women’s quartet group. “I learned so much from Minnetonka Choir in terms of music theory and my own voice,” said Torres.

She was also a student leader for the high school’s Coffee House Concert series, where she loved the variety of musical styles that were represented in one night, “from electric to acoustic!” She concluded, “It was probably my favorite part of music at Minnetonka because I could perform with my full rock band and share it with others. The community there was so fun.”

Reflecting on the decision to try out for The Voice, she shared, “I actually first auditioned [for the show] as a freshman in high school, and made through some of the initial parts, but then I got ill.” Later on, after college, Torres had a friend audition and make it into Season 24 of the show, and so this spring, she decided to try out again. “It was kind of on a whim!”

Being part of the show was a long process during the summer, where all of the content that was not live was prerecorded. “I made so many friends,” said Torres. “The bonding reminded me of high school choir, and the pace was go-go-go.” 

Torres made it to the knockout rounds of the competition. She shared that the most important thing she learned during her experience was the value of self-confidence. “Being in the music industry is difficult, and so I am working to be confident in my choices, my talent and all of the work I’ve done—to be confident even with internal fears.” 

Torres lives and works in Minnesota, where she is a staff member at St. David’s Center for Child Development, working with young adults with physical and mental disabilities. She performs with her band, Midnight Rambler, and is working on her own songwriting and performance, as well. Going forward, she looks forward to continuing to find out who she is as an artist. “I’m looking to find my voice, message and sound and not be afraid to pinpoint it,” said Torres. “My biggest piece of advice for others is to not let those future career anxieties get in your way. Getting out of the mindset of the arts as a hobby into believing it as a career is important. The thing that will push you back is not the odds, but your own limits on yourself, so push those out of your way!”

Photos submitted courtesy of Frankie Torres