Opportunity was the key word at this year’s High School Competition and College Expo, May 24-25 at the CS Convention. Students had the opportunity to perform in front of premier voice faculty and receive invaluable feedback from them. Universities had the opportunity to listen to future opera stars and recruit the top high school talent in the nation. Parents, students, and teachers alike had the opportunity to meet with admission officers and learn more about specific schools.
These opportunities were not squandered.
The national semifinalists and finalists received more than $550,000 in scholarships from the Eastman School of Music, the Boston Conservatory, the University of Texas, Texas Christian University, Brigham Young University, Arizona State University, UCLA, San Jose State University, Colorado State University, DePauw University, North Park University, and the University of Minnesota.
John Brancy of Mullica, New Jersey, participating in the competition for the second year, was the first-place winner of the competition. The highlight for John was the feedback he received from the judges. “Having such knowledgeable singers and teachers there to advise me was definitely the most inspiring part of the whole experience!”
John and the other finalists and semifinalists certainly impressed the judges. John De Hann of the University of Minnesota said, “I would be very surprised if four or five of these singers didn’t have big operatic careers.”
Other national winners included second-place winner Julia Metzler of Glendale, Calif., third-place winner Anna Schubert of Placentia, Calif., and honorable mention winners Elliott Hines of Sugar Land, Texas, and Joshua Goldstein of Suffern, N.Y.
These students, along with the other participants, were able to meet with more than 40 schools during the College Expo and then attend masterclasses and workshops presented by voice faculty of the participating schools. Sigrid Redpath, the parent of participant Liv Redpath, commented about the Expo, “What a marvelous opportunity to learn about performance and to begin preparing for college.”
Caroline Smith of DePauw University was impressed by the enthusiastic response of the students at her masterclass. “The response from parents and students alike was overwhelmingly positive. I couldn’t believe the response in the masterclass—whooping and cheering. We were packed to the rafters—I had 18-20 kids who wanted to sing. . . . Needless to say, I couldn’t get to them all, but it was still much fun!”
The First Round of the 2008 High School Competition begins Nov. 1 on the campuses of various universities and conservatories throughout the nation, running through March 1. For more information, visit
www.classicalsinger.com/hscomp.
