Meet Ultimate Idol Finalist Tio Schluter

Tio Schluter is one of many talented Oneonta residents who made it to the finals of Five Star Subaru Presents Ultimate Idol this year.

Schluter has been honing his singing skills for the last 10 years, since he was a sophomore in high school. He grew up listening to a mix of metal, and classic and modern rock, especially bands like Incubus, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and System of a Down.

He trained his voice through private lessons and a voice and diction class at SUNY Oneonta before graduating.

"It definitely helped my singing," he said. "(Now) before every performance, I sing along to a 15-minute vocal warmup by Melissa Cross."

Despite his training and preparedness for Ultimate Idol, Schluter said this year's finale could go to any of the 10 finalists.

"There's so much talent in this group," he said.

If Schluter happens to win, he wants to put the $2,000 grand prize toward getting head shots and jump starting his career.

Either way, Schluter doesn't plan to coast to through the finale. He said he wanted to showcase his talents with an array of songs during the competition.

"I try to pick songs that challenge my abilities as a singer, although I'm used to playing with a band behind me," he said. "But I feed off the energy from the audience."