Grand Prize Winners Announced in 2010 New Discoveries Auditions!
Four Fabulous Young Singers named as Grand Prize Winners of 2010 New Discoveries Auditions for Young Artists.
It should be a source of tremendous pride for the Canadian system of training young singers that with every round of the biennial New Discoveries Auditions for Young Artists, the depth of talent continues to leave jury members ever more impressed. On January 21st and 28th, in auditions held at Cathedral Place in Montreal and at the New Tapestry Opera Studios in Toronto, jury members heard 53 young artists and selected four, rather than the customary three, Grand Prize winners - and this year, added three Honourable Mentions.
On their way to stardom on the concert and opera stage are Grand Prize Winners 27-year old soprano Betty Allison; 24-year-old mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta; 27-year-old baritone Alexander Hajek; and bass-baritone Phillipe Sly, who is just 21 years of age. The four young singers will make their Ottawa Choral Society debut in the 2010-11 season as soloists with the Society and will be featured in a Showcase Recital presented under the auspices of the Marian Pickering Memorial Fund.
The jury also wished to recognize the strength of the field by nominating sopranos Charlotte Corwin and Ileana Montalbetti, and baritone Cairan Ryan as Honourable Mentions. Their performances were engaging and polished and showed tremendous promise.
Jury members this year were Robert Cooper – Director Chorus Niagara, Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and Opera in Concert Chorus; Eric Friesen – Broadcaster, Classical Music Host and Speaker; Matthew Larkin – Director Ottawa Choral Society, Christ Church Cathedral (Ottawa), and The Larkin Singers; and Michael Zaugg – Director St. Lawrence Choir of Montreal, Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Montreal Symphony Orchestra Chorus, ensemble voces boreales, and La Ceilagh Chamber Singers. An added reward is that Audition winners may also receive invitations to perform with the prominent Canadian choirs directed by members of this year’s jury.
The biennial, juried auditions are an initiative developed in the early 1990’s by the Choral Society with the goal of providing a platform for emerging artists ready to launch their professional careers. To be eligible, they must be 30 years of age and under. The majority of the candidates were graduates or interns of Canadian opera training programmes and advanced students being coached by Canada’s most eminent voice teachers. Many held post-graduate degrees from music faculties across the nation and some have won recognition in international competitions and have made their professional stage debuts. Amongst the candidates, were also gifted younger singers who have not yet completed their undergraduate studies but are gaining experience in the auditioning process, often delighting the jury with their potential and serious ambitious commitment.
The Jurors heard 53 young artists performing celebrated showpieces from opera and oratorio that ranged from the Bach Passions, Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Rossini operas, oratorios and masses, to songs from the great romantic cycles by Brahms, Richard Strauss and modern masters, Duparc, Copland, Wolf, Britten - all done with a panache and professionalism that was quite dazzling. A highlight of the two full-day sessions was a blisteringly brilliant performance of ‘Glitter’ from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide that injected a burst of irrepressible gaiety into the standard audition repertoire!
