Opera concert features competition finalists

courtesy of WPTA 21Alive

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - It’s like a local version of the voice - Wednesday night, Heartland Sings hosted their first singing competition.

“We had 150 applicants form all across the country and we narrowed it down to 14 semi finalists and we brought them here to Fort Wayne,” says Associate Artistic Director at Heartland Sings, Natalie Young.

Three finalists hit the stage to show off their incredible vocal skills – but there could only be one winner.

Eric Miller is the Vice President and General Manager of the group, he says, “They may not be world renowned yet, but they will be. I can guarantee that we’ll see a couple of these folks out doing amazing things in the opera world.”

The group aims to enrich the community in all types of vocal arts. They say, “changing lives through song is what we try to do every day.” Even the less mainstream ones like opera.

“Opera is like bringing all of the artforms together. You have beautiful singing, the voice in it’s natural state, which is remarkable what the voice can do. You have an orchestra with so many colors and tambors to tell the story,” says Young.

And if you think it’s an art that’s dying, Young says, “To people that maybe think it’s outdated, go see an opera.”

You’ll see incredible voices like tonight’s winner, Johanna Wills.

See the video courtesy of WPTA 21Alive at: https://www.21alivenews.com/2024/05/23/heartland-sings-hosts-night-opera-competition/