LENOX — Out of tens of thousands of hopefuls from around the country, Katherine Winston made it all the way to the top 24.
The 18-year-old Lenox resident recently finished a month-long stint as a contestant on the Fox talent search show ‘‘American Idol,’’ getting further than any other Berkshire County resident has on a national show such as ‘‘Idol.’’
‘‘Honestly, I never expected to get as far as I did’’ she admitted.
‘‘I have absolutely no negative feelings toward the show. I gained so much experience and confidence. I’ve grown so much as an artist and a person. It was an amazing experience.’’
It was also, by Winston’s own admission, enormously nerve-wracking, tension-filled and, for brief bursts of time, triumphant.
For the most part, the contestants were on stage alone. But one aspect of the auditions in Hollywood involved a group performance, where the contestants sang in groups of three or four.
Winston found herself in a bit of a sticky situation at that point.
‘‘Well, all of the artists I was hanging around with got cut before the group stage,’’ she said. ‘‘So I had to scramble.’’
She joined a group of three singers, but they had less than 2 hours to rehearse and figure out parts.
‘‘I probably got about an hour’s sleep,’’ she said. ‘‘People were exhausted.’’
Because of that, explained Winston, several contestant missed lines or words during their performances.
Winston was one of eight contestants cut in the semifinal round.
A few days later she played a Welcome Home concert at Lenox Memorial High School. She is booked into the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield for next Saturday.
‘‘I have lots of ideas in the works,’’ she said. ‘‘But I want to play some local gigs for at least a month or so.’’