A small town girl with a big-time voice; a new-home consultant who sings at memorial services honoring fallen soldiers; a marketing specialist who loves to sings Motown hits; and a country music fan who can’t stop singing are the four finalists vying for a chance to sing the national anthem at the 2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando next month.

More than 38,000 votes were cast on the IBS website, www.buildersshow.com, to help select the finalists from among the 20 contestants who entered the NAHB Star competition — the American Idol-style online talent show where the winner will sing an a cappella version of the Star Spangled Banner to kick off the Grand Opening Ceremonies at IBS on Jan. 12.

The contestants — all members of the NAHB family — submitted videos of their solo performances of the national anthem. Their videos were then posted on the IBS website where NAHB members and the general public voted for their favorite performance, narrowing the competition to the finalists.

The four — Rhagen Austin, Haley Browder, Starla Curry-Hilliard and Kelly Gelbert — come from different industry and musical backgrounds, but each of them is ready and eager to bring their talent to the builders’ show.

Rhagen Austin — Small Town Girl With a Voice Ready for the Big Stage

Austin

Anyone who’s seen Rhagen Austin’s NAHB Star audition video might be surprised to learn that she’s only been singing for less than a year.

She got her start when her boyfriend’s father, who is in a local band in Gonzales, La., asked her to sing just for the fun of it. He was so impressed with her talent that he persuaded her to sing a few numbers with the band during its regular Thursday night gig.

The performing bug bit.

“It’s been fun,” says Austin, who has an affinity for strong female artists like Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae and Eva Cassidy. “I’d like to get out and sing somewhere other than my town.”

To help her achieve that goal, Austin’s mother, Kelly Austin, an interior coordinator at Wooden Creations in Gonzales and a member of the Capital Region Builders Association, encouraged her daughter to enter the NAHB Star contest.

Now, not only is the younger Austin anxious to compete in the finals, she’s also looking forward to touring the show floor with her mom. “She says I’ll love it because I minored in architecture” Austin says.

She admits she’s a little nervous about the judging, but she thinks that will work in her favor.

“I do better with nerves,” Austin says.

To view her video entry, click here. 

Haley Browder — Home Seller by Day, Singer by Night…and Weekends

With years of singing under her belt, new-home consultant Haley Browder is hoping NAHB Star will help make her voice heard in the housing world.  

By day, Browder sells homes for Omega Builders in Temple, Texas. But on nights and weekends, she’s out performing at events big and small.

“I embrace the opportunity whenever I can,” Browder says. “I’ve had the opportunity to sing at weddings, funerals, political events and Houston Astros games.”

Browder also sings at memorial events honoring fallen soldiers at the Fort Hood military base. 

While Browder has a wide variety of songs in her repertoire, she says the national anthem has a special place in her heart.

“It’s our country’s song and I enjoy being able to perform it,” she says. “I love singing it at events.”

Browder has recorded two CDs and is active in several local organizations, including the Temple Chamber of Commerce, where she is the chair of its Business After Hours committee, and the Central Texas Master Singers, who perform throughout the Central Texas area.

A world traveler, Browder has visited Morocco, Singapore, Taiwan, Europe and Canada, but right now she’s got her sights set on Orlando.

With the Temple Area Builders Association rooting for her, Browder says she’s not worried about singing live in front of the judges.

“I’m not nervous — yet,” she says.

To view her video entry, click here. 

Starla Curry-Hilliard — Marketing Specialist and Associate Member Who Loves Motown

A performer since she was five, associate member Starla Curry-Hilliard — a marketing specialist with the Alabama Power Company who enjoys singing along to her favorite Motown hits by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and others — wants to share her talent with the IBS audience and the country.

Curry-Hilliard made her stage debut during a first-grade Christmas recital where she was the partridge in a pear tree. She has since honed her talent by singing regularly in her church choir.

What eventually put her on the path to this year’s NAHB Star finals, however, were her performances before members of two home builders associations. She sang at the St. Clair County Home Builders Association Christmas party in Pell City, Ala., and for The Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders.

“A friend of mine at St. Clair and the executive vice president and president of the Birmingham HBA put me up to it,” she says. “And my company has been ultra-supportive.”

Because Curry-Hilliard often works with builders, she says “it just made sense” to join NAHB. “It’s a great way to form relationships, learn about the business and what builders need and how they operate. The camaraderie is just fantastic and I’ve made some great friends.”

Although she admits that she’s nervous about performing in front of the NAHB Star judges, Curry-Hilliard says she is looking forward to the chance to sing the Star Spangled Banner at the Grand Opening Ceremonies.

“It’s an honor to sing our national anthem,” Curry-Hilliard says. “Given the current state of our nation, I think it would be my greatest gift to our troops and to my country.”

To view her video entry, click here.

Kelly Gelbert — Singing All the Time: At Church, Karaoke, in the Car With Her Kids

There practically hasn’t been a time in her life when Kelly Gelbert, whose husband Brett is a general contractor and a member of the Home Builders and Contractors Association of Brevard County in Melbourne, Fla., wasn’t singing.

“It’s my favorite thing to do,” says Gelbert, who is a big fan of classic country music and Patsy Cline.

While in high school, Gelbert sang in church and for her school’s competition club — “a choral chamber group that sang at different events.”

These days, she still sings in church as well as at almost every karaoke opportunity in Melbourne. She also sings a lot in the car and around the house for her son Shane, 13, and daughter Jameson, 6 — especially now when she’s practicing for the NAHB Star finals.

“My son tells me, ‘You’re gonna win,’” Gelbert says. “My daughter just likes to sing with me. They like it when I perform.”

Her husband was the one who encouraged her to enter the NAHB Star completion.

“We always joke about me going on American Idol,” Gelbert says, so when the NAHB Star competition began this year, “he said, ‘You gotta do it.’”

The Gelberts are frequent IBS attendees and are looking forward to this year’s show — especially the NAHB Star competition.

“I love to perform!” Gelbert says. “I love it when people are moved by my singing. It’s a good feeling, a rush.”

To view her video entry, click here.

NAHB will fly the finalists to Orlando for final judging just prior to the show. The winner will then sing the national anthem during the Grand Opening Ceremonies beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12, in the Valencia Ballroom in the Orange County Convention Center.