Vocal Competition Q & A
The entire Heartland Sings team is busily preparing for our upcoming vocal competition. Read on for everything you need to know about this new venture, in the form of a Q & A with our leadership team.
Q. Why a vocal competition?
A. Natalie Young, Associate Artistic Director & Principal Soprano: A vocal competition is a great opportunity for Heartland Sings to encourage talented young artists from around the world. Those chosen as semi-finalists will have the chance to network (with each other, the judges, and everyone at Heartland Sings) and gain professional experience performing in our production of A Night at the Opera. Additionally, finalists will win cash prizes, which are very helpful for budding artists in a difficult field!
Q: Who was on the judging panel, how were they selected, and how were the semi-finalists chosen?
A. Maestro Robert Nance, Artistic Director & President: Our judges are: National & International Performer and Vocal Pedagogue, Dr. Keith Brautigam; University of Michigan Vocal Coach, Pianist, and Professor, Dr. Timothy Cheek; Eastman School of Music Professor of Voice, Kathryn Cowdrick; and Professor Emerita of Music, DePauw University School of Music, Caroline Smith A. Young: Semi-finalists were chosen through a rigorous judging process. Five judges individually listened to arias and reviewed paperwork from 151 entries, received from both national and international applicants. Each semi-finalist was ranked by each judge (a 13-hour process per judge) and then approximately 30 top scorers were discussed among the judges. From this, 18 semi-finalists and alternates were chosen, 4-5 per voice category. These 18 will compete in the semi-final round of the competition on Monday, May 20, from 11:00am – 4:00pm in the sanctuary at Plymouth Congregational Church. The semi-final round is open to the public. Three finalists will be chosen at the end of the semi-final round.
Q. What logistics are involved in a venture like this? (Equipment required, people it takes to coordinate everything, etc.) A. Eric Miller, Vice President & General Manager: From advertising to collecting and organizing responses and then actually judging, it has been a huge amount of logistical work. Also, managing and preparing for the travel schedule and individual needs of 18 different singers has been a massive undertaking. When it comes to concert productions, this is one of the largest we will put on. We will have a full orchestra of around 40 players and a chorus of 40-50 singers. On the production side we will have the full staff of the Auer Performance Hall (audio technician, monitor technician, lighting technician, ushers, hall manager) joining with our Heartland crew (me, our new assistant general manager Misha Chemey, and possibly a hand or two for stage setup.) Since it will be recorded for TV, that will mean a mic on each stand of instrumentalists, 4-8 mics on the chorus, and likely an area mic for the soloists. An added challenge for this concert is that finalists are singing with the orchestra. Maestro Nance is assembling all of the potential repertoire for the 18 semi-finalists, recognizing that only three will become finalists and we have to be ready to pull and play their particular music. The competition happens on Monday and the finalists will have only one rehearsal with the orchestra before the final performance.
Q. What can patrons expect from the concert?
A. Young: Heartland Sings' own chorus will sing a mix of well-known operatic favorites. The chorus numbers will be accented by arias and duets by Heartland Sings' own vocal artists. The final round of the competition will also take place during the concert, so the three finalists will be featured in one solo each, and at the end of the program the winners will be announced! Nance adds: In addition to the four judges, audience members will also be able to vote for their favorite. They will be the 5th vote.
