On Sunday morning, the last day of the 2005 Classical Singer Convention, as attendees were wrapping up activities and checking out of the hotel, high school students and their parents were checking in for the First Annual Classical Singer College Expo and High School Vocal Competition. This first-time-ever event brought high school singers and university voice programs from around the country together in one location.
More than 200 students, parents, and teachers came to Times Square in New York City to meet with representatives from top vocal programs such as the Eastman School of Music, the University of Michigan, Boston Conservatory, and Temple University. They attended workshops and participated in master classes presented by the various universities and schools, and 48 students competed in the High School Vocal Competition.
For many of the students, the competition was the highlight of the event. Emily Rapisarda of Clayton, N.J. won first prize, with the second prize going to Andrew Lipian of Grafton, Ohio, and third prize to Trevor Strader of Queensbury, N.Y. Ryder Bach of San Jose, Calif., Anna Slate of West Port, Conn., and Joanna Harts Home of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. received Marquis awards. The first-, second-, and third-prize winners performed their winning arias at the closing session of the Expo on Sunday evening.
“It was a wonderful experience, and we hope that you [Classical Singer] continue it and that it becomes a staple in the classical arena,” said Karen Thompson, a parent of participating student Alexis Thompson. “There are so few professionally run competitions for young singers, so yours was absolutely refreshing.”
Another parent, Helene Friedlander, commented, “Great College Expo. We enjoyed it very much and our daughter got a lot out of it. She is looking forward to seeing her comments from the [competition] judges and plans on entering next year, too.”
