WHAT: Boston Lyric Opera’s second annual Teen Aria Contest, sponsored by BLO Board member and arts patron Linda Cabot Black, part of BLO’s FREE all-day Open House at the Shubert Theatre.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 6, 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston
BOSTON – The Shubert stage will be filled with the drama and excitement of teen talent on Saturday, Nov. 6, as six contestants battle for top prize in Boston Lyric Opera’s Linda Cabot Black Teen Aria Contest.
Acclaimed arts and entertainment critic Joyce Kulhawik will emcee this spirited competition. Ms. Kulhawik also hosted last year’s contest and impressed the audience and finalists with her charm, finesse, and ability to put the young singers at ease as they stepped into the spotlight.
Three soloists and one ensemble will perform for a panel of three expert judges – Miss Boston 2010 Ashley Rizzo, singer and arts promoter Stephanie Janes, and esteemed opera educator Patrick Hansen – as well as a cheering audience of Open House visitors. (The Shubert will be open to the public all day Saturday, as BLO offers backstage and orchestra pit tours, free performances and puppet making and costume workshops. For more information and a schedule of events, go to http://www.blo.org/open_house.
The glamorous Ms. Rizzo is a mezzo-soprano currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her platform is Music and Arts Funding in Early Childhood Education Programs. Ms. Janes is a soprano with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and has sung under the batons of James Levine, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. She is also the PR and Communications Manager at the Celebrity Series of Boston, and was formerly with ArtsBoston. Mr. Hansen is Director of Opera Studies at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal and is the former Director of the Young Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera.
Teen Aria contestants include soloists Tal Heller of Sharon; Jessica Price of Millis; and Anna Shneyderman of Brookline, and ensemble entrants: Ariel Galford of Sharon, with Katie Doherty, Caroline Orsi, and Jessica Price, all of Millis. (See bios below.)
This year, local teens were asked to submit DVDs of a performance in which they drew inspiration from one of 14 pre-selected arias, from classic operas such as Carmen, Tosca and Madame Butterfly. Interpretations from all musical genres were encouraged. Judges will rate the contestants on musicianship and quality of performance.
The winner will receive a $1,000 FIRST PRIZE ($2,000 for groups of three or more)! Second prize is $500 ($1,000 for groups of three or more). Third prize is $250 ($500 for groups of three or more).
More about our contestants:
Tal Heller, of Sharon: Heller, 16, attends Sharon High School where she performs in the choir and theatre. A mezzo-soprano, she has studied voice for the past six years at DelGiudice Vocal Arts Academy. Get ready for a real performance! Heller says: “(Music) is an outlet for my imagination and creativity. I am a crazy, loud, outgoing person and I love humor and I love to act.”
Jessica Price, of Millis: Price, 16, attends Millis High School, where she participates in drama and the pep band; she plays flute, piccolo, and saxophone. She studies voice with Eva Kendrick. And she’s passionate about performing. Asked how she got into music, she says: “Music got into me. I started singing just after I learned to talk.”
Anna Shneyderman of Brookline: Shneyderman, 15, attends Brookline High School, where she performs in musical theatre. She also plays piano and studies voice with Pamela Wolfe at Brandeis University. Music is her life, she says. “I believe that music is the ultimate form of artistic expression. You can always catch me singing or humming something wherever I go.”
Ensemble members:
Ariel Galford, of Sharon: Galford, 17, attends Sharon High School, where she performs with the school’s theatre company. She’s taken voice lessons for the past eight years, the last four with Eva Kendrick. She also plays piano and dances ballet. “I really like to make up songs and try to figure out songs on the piano,” she says. “I could spend many hours on the piano just playing whatever I like.”
Jessica Price, of Millis: (See above)
Katie Doherty, of Millis: Doherty, 16, attends Millis High School, where she performs in chorus and theatre. She also takes singing lessons with Eva Kendrick. Doherty likes all kinds of music and promises the ensemble will perform “a great song with a catchy new arrangement…it sounds (different) from the original version, but still staying true to the song.”
Caroline Orsi, of Millis: Orsi, 17, attends Millis High School, where she plays in band. She plays the flute and bass guitar, and – like her ensemble mates – studies voice with Eva Kendrick. Her favorite albums are Abbey Road and A Hard Day’s Night by the Beatles, and Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. No mystery. “My dad was always playing Beatles music when I was little,” she says.
BLO’s Linda Cabot Black Teen Aria Contest and Open House are just two events in the Company’s week-long celebration ofNational Opera Week (October 29 – November 7), organized by OPERA America. Other highlights include the opening ofTosca on November 5 preceded by a free final dress rehearsal at which more than 600 Boston-area high school students will have their first opera experience, with a brief introduction provided by BLO’s Education & Community Programs Manager, Julie House. They will also hear from BLO’s General & Artistic Director Esther Nelson, and have the chance to meet BLO staff and other rehearsal guests during intermission. BLO provides free passes to local high schools each year to broaden students’ musical education.
For more information about Tosca and other BLO events, please visit blo.org and follow BLO on Twitter at @bostlyricopera. For more information about National Opera Week events around the country, please visit operaamerica.org/now. Follow the National Opera Week conversation on Twitter with #operaweek.
(Press Release/Boston Lyric Opera)
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