Posted January 29, 2014
General Director Speight Jenkins announced the singers selected for Seattle Opera’s popular International Wagner Competition on August 7, 2014, where emerging artists will go head-to-head American Idol style. The competition is part of a celebratory weekend which also includes a concert and dinner in honor of Speight Jenkins’ three decades at the helm of Seattle Opera (and featuring 15 of the company’s favorite singers) on August 9.
In an all-Wagner concert conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing, who has extensive experience with Deutsche Oper Berlin, eight finalists and two alternates will compete for two prizes of $25,000, to be awarded by a distinguished panel of judges. The audience and orchestra will also play an important role in the competition. Both groups will award a prize of $5,000 to their favorite artist. Singers, all between the ages of 25-40, were nominated by general directors, managers, and other established opera professionals. Following auditions in Munich, London, New York, and Seattle in the fall of 2013, eight finalists were chosen to compete. This third International Wagner Competition is made possible by a generous contribution from the Nesholm Family Foundation.
Ticket Prices are $46 to $66
The competitors are:
Ric Furman, tenor
Suzanne Hendrix, mezzo-soprano (Merola 2009)
Roman Ialcic, bass baritone
Kihun Yoon, baritone (withdrew)
Tamara (Wapinsky) Mancini, soprano (Adler Fellow, Merola 2007)
Kevin Ray, tenor (Merola 2010)
Issachah Savage, tenor (Merola 2013, WSNC William O. Cord Grant Recipient)
Marcy Stonikas, soprano (WSNC William O. Cord Grant Recipient)
Helena Dix, soprano
The alternate is: David Danholt, tenor
Our local San Francisco audience will know many of the competitors – 50% have been trained in the Merola Program in San Francisco and two of the competitors have been awarded a WSNC – William O. Cord Grant.
This is a great opportunity for a music-filled long weekend in Seattle this coming August. Visit the Seattle Opera website to order your tickets.