Horizon West 15-year-old singer places second in High School Rock Off at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Horizon West resident Francesca Tarantino, 15, recently placed second in the 2024 Tri-C High School Rock Off hosted at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Francesca, a student at Windermere Preparatory School, mixed a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" with a few of her original songs, including "Tragedy" and a solo rendition of "Hotel California." The performance was complete with a series of guitar solos.

"It was amazing and unreal at the same time!" Francesca said. "To be able to be on that stage in that iconic place surrounded by so many legends, stories and memorabilia of people who I admire and look up to gave me a feeling I will never forget. And then to be sharing that stage with so many other talented musicians and artists was just awesome! Just to make it to the finals was unbelievable to me! So, to come in the top three, let alone second, competing against bands who have been there many times before really meant a lot, and it felt good to be recognized for my hard work."

Thirty contestants had the opportunity to perform in three semi-final rounds in February, all leading up to "The Final Exam," which took place Saturday, March 2. At The Final Exam — in which the top 12 contestants competed in — the 2024 “Best Band in The Land” was awarded by music and entertainment industry judges.

In the West Orange and Southwest Orange County area, Francesca is known as a local rock legend. Read her full story here.

Currently, Francesca is concentrating on gigging at new locations across Central Florida, writing music and participating in local songwriting showcases. She will be taking her first trip to Nashville in April, and she will be singing the national anthem for the third time for the Miami Marlins in August.

She also has an acoustic version of her No. 1 song, “Tragedy” coming out in mid-May. 

"Music is such an outlet for me," Francesca said. "It’s always there no matter what your mood; it’s there. I mean, music is such a big part of my life. If I’m not playing it, I’m listening to it, and I love being able to create my own (music) and then seeing people enjoying it. I’m most excited about being able to play my music in front of more and more people. Seeing them happy makes me happy!"