CulBeat Express
2018.04.29 23:25
2018 메트오페라 성악가 콩쿠르 5인 공동 우승
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Five Young Singers Named 2018 Winners of
The Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions
Ashley Dixon, Jessica Faselt, Madison Leonard, Carlos Enrique Santelli, Hongni Wu
2018 Winners of The Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. Photo: Richard Termine
New York, NY (April 29, 2018) – After many months of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, five singers have been named as the winners of the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Each winner receives a $15,000 cash prize and the exposure that comes with winning the competition that launched the careers of many of opera’s biggest stars.
This year’s winners are Jessica Faselt, 25, soprano (Upper Midwest Region: Iowa City, IA); Madison Leonard, 26, soprano (Middle Atlantic Region: Coeur d’Alene, ID); Ashley Dixon, 26, mezzo-soprano (Northwest Region: Peachtree, GA); Hongni Wu, 23, mezzo-soprano (Eastern Region: Jingdezhen, China); and Carlos Enrique Santelli, 26, tenor (Western Region: Orlando, FL).
Earlier this afternoon, this year’s finalists performed on the Met stage in the final phase of the competition. Each finalist sang two arias with the Met orchestra, led by Bertrand de Billy. The audience for the Grand Finals Concert included artistic directors of leading opera companies, artist managers, important teachers and coaches, music critics, and many other industry professionals with the potential to play an influential role in the career of a young singer.
The Met Auditions, currently in their 64th year, were the public’s first introduction to many of today’s best-known stars, including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Deborah Voigt, Lawrence Brownlee, Thomas Hampson, Eric Owens, Angela Meade, Nadine Sierra, Jamie Barton, and Ryan Speedo Green. Recent winners who have gone on to embark on major operatic careers include Paul Appleby, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Lisette Oropesa, Susanna Phillips, and Alek Shrader. Over 100 singers who participated in the National Council process early in their careers are on the Met’s roster in the current season.
The Grand Finals Concert featured a performance by guest artist Bryan Hymel and host Joyce DiDonato. The concert was recorded for broadcast at a later date on public radio stations across the United States.
The remaining four finalists, Danielle Beckvermit, 25, soprano (Eastern Region: Kingston, NY); Emily Misch, 28, soprano (Eastern Region: Santa Monica, CA); Megan Grey, 24, mezzo-soprano (Upper Midwest Region: Cedar Falls, IA); and Gretchen Krupp, 25, mezzo-soprano (Central Region: Manassas, VA), each received a cash prize of $5,000.
The regional and district-level auditions, held across the U.S. and Canada, are sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera National Council and administered by National Council members and hundreds of volunteers from across the country. Given the reach of the auditions, the number of applicants, and the program’s long tradition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions are considered the most prestigious competition for singers seeking to launch an operatic career.
Winner Biographies
Ashley Dixon
MEZZO-SOPRANO (Peachtree, GA)
Ashley Dixon, mezzo-soprano, is in her first year of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship program. In the upcoming season, she will be covering the role of Sara, Duchess of Nottingham in Roberto Devereux and will be making her main stage debut in Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life as the alto soloist in the angel quartet. In the summer of 2017 Ms. Dixon sang the role of Popova in William Walton’s The Bear with the Merola Opera Program. The Gerda Lissner Foundation awarded her the Encouragement Award for their Song / Lieder Competition in New York. In past seasons, Ms. Dixon was engaged as a young artist with the Des Moines Metro Opera where she made her professional debut as Flora in Verdi’s La Traviata. Ms. Dixon holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music from Louisiana State University. Northwest Region.
Jessica Faselt
SOPRANO (Iowa City, IA)
Jessica Faselt was most recently a Studio Artist with the Florida Grand Opera in Miami for their 2017/2018 season and covered the roles of Salome in Richard Strauss’s Salome and Florencia in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. Jessica was a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in the summer of 2015 and was again engaged with the company for the summer of 2016 covering the title role of Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos. She was also an Apprentice Artist with the Des Moines Metro Opera in 2014. Other roles performed include Hanna in The Merry Widow, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, and Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw. Jessica was a Semi-Finalist in the Elizabeth Connell Prize International Vocal Competition and in the Eleanor McCollum Voice Competition with the Houston Grand Opera in February 2016. Upper Midwest Region.
Madison Leonard
SOPRANO (Coeur d’Alene, ID)
Rising young soprano Madison Leonard joins Washington National Opera this season as a member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program where she sings High Priestess in Aida, The Rose in Portman’s The Little Prince, Morgana for the young artist performance of Alcina, and Zegner Sister 1 in Missy Mazzoli’s new opera, Proving Up. She joins Dallas Opera for its production of Der Ring des Polykrates. The summer brings her return to Wolf Trap Opera for her role debut as Ilia in Idomeneo. In future seasons, she makes her debut and a return to Seattle Opera. With the Merola Opera Program in association with San Francisco Opera, she sang Monica in Menotti’s The Medium as well as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel for the program’s annual Grand Finale Concert while also covering Norina in Don Pasquale. She is a previous first place winner of the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition. The soprano earned her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Arts from Pepperdine University. Middle Atlantic Region.
Carlos Enrique Santelli
TENOR (Orlando, FL)
Carlos Enrique Santelli is in his second season as a member of LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. This season he study covered Nadir in The Pearl Fishers. Guest work included Mr. Santelli's Dayton Opera debut as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. Past projects with LA Opera include performances in Salome, conducted by James Conlon, and Wonderful Town, conducted by Grant Gershon. For the past two summers, Mr. Santelli was a member of Santa Fe Opera’s distinguished Apprentice Artist Program. The summer of 2017 was a particularly notable season for Mr. Santelli as he made his principal role debut with the company as Arturo in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor. Mr. Santelli received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his Master of Music from the University of Michigan. Western Region.
Hongni Wu
MEZZO-SOPRANO (Jingdezhen, China)
Mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu is a Professional Studies degree candidate at Manhattan School of Music. Previous credits include Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito and La Libellule in L’enfant et les sortilèges with Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to performance program, the title role in Carmen with Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Mrs Umeya in the Chinese opera Qingling Song with Guangzhou Opera House. Scene work include Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier with Manhattan School of Music. Plans include appearances of the title role of La Cenerentola for Manhattan School of Music, the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of St Louis and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro for Opera Maine. She will join the Jette Parker Young Artists Program of the Royal Opera House in September 2018. Eastern Region.
