Vocalists Compete for 2017 CCM Opera Scholarships on Feb. 25

Every year since 1976, the young vocalists of UC’s College-Conservatory of Music take the stage by storm to compete for five coveted full-tuition scholarships and $62,500 in awards that accompany them. This year, the competition will be held on

Saturday, Feb. 25

from

10 a.m.

to

6 p.m.

in CCM’s

Patricia Corbett Theater

.

Twenty-five current and incoming students will compete before a panel of acclaimed judges for the five scholarships and named awards, including:

• Corbett Award ($15,000): Supported by the Corbett Foundation in cooperation with CCM.
• Italo Tajo Memorial Award ($15,000): Supported by the Italo Tajo Memorial Scholarship Fund (established by Mr. Tajo’s wife Inelda Tajo) in cooperation with CCM.
• Andrew White Memorial Award ($12,500): Supported by the Andrew White Memorial Scholarship Fund in cooperation with CCM.
• Seybold-Russell Award ($10,000): Supported by the Seybold-Russell Scholarship Fund in cooperation with CCM.
• John Alexander Memorial Award ($10,000): Supported by the John Alexander Memorial Scholarship Fund in cooperation with CCM.

Each contestant will be judged on the basis of voice, acting, language, musicianship and style in a complete dramatic performance of an aria. This year’s judges are

Benita Valente

,

Stephen Lord

and

Roberto Mauro

.

Valente is an acclaimed American soprano who has performed and recorded with some of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. Additionally, many composers have collaborated with her to create new works, including William Bolcom, Alberto Ginastera and Libby Larsen. Lord is an American opera conductor who is currently the music director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and who will become the principal conductor of Michigan Opera Theatre in the 2018-19 season. Mauro is the Director of Music and Artistic Administration for the Canadian Opera Company.

About CCM Opera

The Department of Opera at CCM boasts one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches and directors in the United States. Students at CCM work with some of the most renowned teachers and artists active in opera today.

CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the

Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

. 

As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer

, four singers with ties to CCM advanced to the semi-final round of the 2016 Met Auditions. This year, alumna Summer Hassan (MM Voice, 2014) and alumnus Cody Quattlebaum (BM Voice, 2015) were first place winners in their respective regions of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

In addition, CCM’s Mainstage Opera and Studio Opera Series have received some of the National Opera Association Production Competition’s highest honors throughout the years, taking home six of the 18 non-professional prizes awarded in 2010 and four prizes in 2011.

CCM Opera graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, Metropolitan Opera (New York), Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy) and more.

CCM’s 2016-17 Mainstage Opera season concludes next month with Mozart’s

Idomeneo

, conducted by Aik Khai Pung with stage direction by Marcus Shields. The production runs from

March 30

through

April 2

. Learn more about the production at

ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/idomeneo

.

____________________

2017 Opera Scholarship Competition

Performance Time

Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location

Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village

University of Cincinnati

Admission

Admission to the Opera Scholarship Competition is FREE and open to the general public. Reservations are not required and audience members may enter and exit the theater at appropriate times throughout the day.

Parking and Directions

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus.

Please visit

uc.edu/parking

for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit

uc.edu/visitors

. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit

ccm.uc.edu/about/directions

.