Thornhill’s Rami Kapon can croon with the best of them.
Last month, he came out on top in Senior Star, an American Idol-like competition for senior citizens and the ride isn’t over yet.
“I’m still considered an amateur,” a nonchalant Mr. Kapon said.
He has never had professional training, simply singing for himself since his youth.
“Nobody taught me. It was just what I understood to do,” he said.
It was in the last few years that he began to pursue his art with greater vigour.
His daughter, Sarit, and her boyfriend, Kevin, gave him karaoke music so he had more opportunities to practice. It was Kevin’s idea to buy him the music to nurture Mr. Kapon’s talent.
Mr. Kapon’s friend, Mark, a professional singer, has a home studio setup with state-of-the-art equipment, giving him chances to sing and record. Mark also gave him some singing lessons.
“I took it seriously this time,” Mr. Kapon said. “I did it for myself.”
When he heard about Senior Star, spotting a poster in the Bernard Betel Centre on Steeles Avenue, he quickly registered. As it was, he was one of the last to hear about the contest and Reesa Soto at Chartwell ensured he was entered.
He lists Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin as musical heroes and performed Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon in the competition.
He returned for a victorious encore performance of Darin’s Some of These Days.
The second annual show is staged by Chartwell, which operate the Constantia Retirement Residence in Thornhill and The Gibson in North York.
Seventeen seniors competed and fellow Thornhill resident Leo Snowbell also did well, performing Royal Wedding with his wife, Sarah, netting a second place finish.
National finals take place in September at the Royal York Hotel. Winners from 71 regional competitions across the country were videotaped, and judges will invite their ten favourites.
Naturally, Mr. Kapon hopes he will be there, crooning all the way.
“You want to proceed ... it’s a nice thing,” he said. “Most importantly, I appreciate how much help everyone has given me to make this possible.”