'He's going to be a singer'

Sawyer teenager Joseph Kotiranta may be an accomplished singer now, but there was a time his parents wondered if he would even speak, let alone sing.

Those days are long gone.

Joey's father, Donald Kotiranta, recalled how his son learned to sing, an unusual trajectory.

"When he was a baby, Joey would cry like crazy for an hour or more. We wondered how we could comfort him," Donald said. "I tried rocking him and playing music. One time I said to his mom Kris, 'I heard Joey cry in perfect pitch! There's music in his cry. He's going to be a singer.'"

In kindergarten, Joey heard the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" on the school bus.

"He loved it, I bought him the CD, and within days, he could sing it perfectly!" said his dad.

When Joey was around two, he was diagnosed with mild - or "high-functioning" - autism. He had stopped speaking for seven months, right around the time that he was one-and-a-half years old. His parents sought treatment through multiple avenues, one of which was the Scottish Rite Speech Clinic, the charity he would have donated to had he won first prize in Minnesota Sings. After that, Joey described the recovery of his voice: "I could speak, and I haven't stopped since!"

When Joey was eight, his parents decided that Joey deserved singing lessons. But no teacher wanted to take him on at that age. But by age nine or 10, he began studying with Gail Hamre, of the Hamre School of Voice in Cloquet. He also took acting lessons.

"He really loved it," his dad said.

Minnesota Sings ... so does Kotiranta

The weekend of Sept. 29-30, Joey Kotiranta competed in the statewide Minnesota Sings competition, held at the Minneapolis Courtyard Marriott. Joey had been selected by the Cromwell Area Community Club as the lead contestant this year, after his exciting performance of "Mack the Knife" at the June steak fry and variety show.

Beginning Saturday morning, each of the 61 contestants, sent by communities all over the state, sang one of three songs to show their vocal accomplishments. Joey chose to sing his version of "Mack the Knife." Each singer was given feedback immediately after his or her performance by the three judges.

"They really helped me in a couple of areas," Joey said in an interview, "especially in working to enunciate my consonants better. One suggested that I should hold out m's and n's. 'They're gold!' he said." He also learned a lot from listening to comments made to other singers.

It's a grueling event, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and more on Sunday, full of suspense. Everyone sings the first day. Out of the 61, eight are chosen to be finalists for an eventual 16. Joey was among those chosen in this first round. Minnesota Sings threw a pizza and dance party with an '80s theme for the participants Saturday evening.

On Sunday morning, contestants sang again, and judges chose eight more finalists.

"I was slotted for 8:30 a.m., so I had to get up at 6:30 to warm up my voice," Joey recounted. "It's the highest notes that are challenging, but I worked till I got it!"

For his second round, Joey sang Michael Buble's version of "Feeling Good."

At 3:45 p.m. Sunday, each of the 16 finalists sang for the final round. Joey sang "Come Fly with Me."

"It was nerve-wracking, after all that waiting," Donald Kotiranta said. "But really fun to watch everyone sing."

Joey placed seventh and received a free microphone and microphone stand as his award.

Got talent?

In recent years, Joey has competed at county and state fairs. He's sung in the Carlton County Fair's "Got Talent" where winners go on to the State Fair.

He also auditioned directly for the State Fair this year and last. Auditions are held at the end of July every evening for around a week. They audition approximately 400 people and choose around 120 for the state fair semifinals. Twice he's competed at the State Fair semifinals and won second place a couple of times. Only first place goes on to the finals. Joey now has his own equipment and seeks out gigs singing around the region, including at area nursing homes.

The Cromwell Area Community Club has been sending singers to Minnesota Sings for the past four years. Singers must be nominated - generally from a public competition or performance - by a community organization. This year the Cromwell group won an extra bonus: As the first in the to state register as a community sponsor, the Cromwell-based club won a free night's lodging for first-place candidate and parents at the Marriott, generating great publicity for the Cromwell area as well.

Minnesota Sings!

Singers out there between the ages of 15 and 25: Consider participating in Minnesota Sings in 2019! Community groups: Apply to Minnesota Sings and make your local competition a community event any time during the first half of 2019. Find out more at http://www.minnesotasings.com