Merrick's Robbie Rosen performs in 'Idol's' top 24

When Merrick’s Robbie Rosen performed live Tuesday night with the top 12 males on “American Idol,” he was living his dream in front of an estimated 25 million viewers.

"I was meant to do this,” Rosen told judges Stephen Tyler, Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez at his “Idol” audition in New Jersey, which aired on Jan. 20. “And I've been waiting to get onto this stage and sing to you since I was 7. I've always envisioned myself right here.”

At the audition, Rosen sang a soulful rendition of the Beatles’ “Yesterday,” impressing the judges with his vocal ability, and by unanimous vote he received a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Rosen, 16, a Calhoun junior and graduate of Merrick Avenue Middle School and Chatterton Elementary School in Merrick, is prohibited from speaking with the media while he is a contestant on the show. But his peers and teachers at Calhoun have been happy to discuss the singing sensation.

"Robbie's got a vocal talent that I think is perfectly geared towards ‘American Idol,’” said Sanford Sardo, Rosen’s choral teacher at Calhoun. “He's got such a mature, professional sound. What I've enjoyed throughout this entire process is watching his voice and him as a performer develop. It's been really exciting to see."

Since his New Jersey audition, Rosen has made five other appearances on the show. On Feb. 10, he sang James Moody’s “Moody’s Mood for Love” in Hollywood, earning a trip to the next round.

He then performed the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” in the Hollywood group round on Feb. 16., and followed that up with a solo performance of Sara Bareilles’s “Gravity.” He continued to impress the judges, and was subsequently informed that he had made it to the top 50.

On Feb. 23, Rosen sang in a group again, performing the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life,” and the next day, he performed Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,” which landed him his place in the top 24.

"He's taken all of those songs and he's really made them his own. And I think that is what the judges really appreciated,” said Sardo.