Cory Winget grabs the mic. His body pulsates. His lips purse.

“Boom. Bah. Boom. Choaaah. Chooaaah. Chooaaah.”

Instrumental sounds sear the air, then echo through the empty Roller Rink in Oak Harbor. But there are no instruments. Cory is a “beatboxer.” He makes all the musical sounds with his mouth.

Ninteen-year-old Cory doesn’t want an audience right now. He’s practicing for his big night Feb. 11. It’s the night he will appear at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. He’s one of the finalists for a future appearance in Showtime at the Apollo in New York.

But being a big star isn’t what Cory’s about. He is a staff member at the Oak Harbor Boys & Girls Club and strives to be a positive role model.

“I love it here,” he said.

But he does have musical aspirations.

“I want to make music that saves people’s lives, like it did for me. It was always there in hard times.”

Cory has dealt with separation from his father when his parents divorced and the death of his best friend, he said.

Cory spent his early childhood in a small Indiana town, where listening to country music was the norm. Cory got exposed to urban music by one of his cousins, who was an ardent fan.

Cory gravitated eventually toward beatbox. It was a natural progression, Cory said, because he has always been a “sound box.” He was the kid in the sand box who made explosive sounds with his mouth when playing war games with friends.

He also has a great ear for music, and plays other compositions as well as his own originals. And while he plays the clarinet, guitar and piano, he can’t read musical notations.

Although he has plenty of musical options, Cory wants to shine as a beatboxer. This form of oral music is rooted in improvisational jazz music, doo-wop and hip-hop.

Cory knew he was headed in the right musical direction when he won a talent show in fifth grade as “The One Man Band.”

Six years ago, he moved to Oak Harbor with his family. He appeared in a number of Oak Harbor High School stage productions before graduation last year.

In addition to working at the Boys & Girls club, he records music that he sells to customers interested in original sounds for radio and TV commercials.

Cory’s family is very supportive of his musical ambitions, as is Keely Smollack, his girlfriend, who gives feedback at rehearsals.

“I tell him what he needs to do,” she said. “I want him to make it and I think I’m more nervous than he is.”

Cory is working hard on his repertoire of vocal percussion sounds in preparation for the finals at the Paramount. He was one of 15 finalists chosen from a field of 435 regional contestants.

When Cory takes the stage at the Paramount, he won’t be alone on his big night.

In his heart and mind Cory carries with him his best friend, Adam McKinney, the kid he grew up and jammed with, who mimicked playing the guitar while Cory made the sounds.

Adam’s life was cut short by a drug interaction. He was taking prescription medications for an attention deficit disorder when he went to a party where either alcohol or recreational drugs caused a fatal physical reaction, Cory said.

So Cory is determined to give his best performance Feb. 11, and realizes he’s up against some tough competition.

Even so, “I won’t give up until I achieve our dream,” he said.