Oratorio Society of New York Presents 37th Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition Finals, 4/13

Since 1977, the Oratorio Society of New York, the city's standard for grand choral performance, has held the only major vocal competition devoted to solo oratorio singing. Named after the OSNY music director from 1973 to 2005, the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition each year draws applicants from around the world.

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, at 1:30 PM, the competition's final round takes place as a public event. Eight finalists, culled from 25 semifinalists (of 85 applicants), will each sing two selections from the oratorio repertoire. The judges will deliberate immediately afterward, and the awards will be announced to the audience.

The Ellen Lopin Blair Award for First Place: $7,000
The Stanley C. Meyerson Award for Second Place: $5,000
The Docia Goodwin Franklin Award for Third Place: $2,500
The Frances MacEachron Award: $1,500
The Johannes Somary Award: $1,500
The Lyndon Woodside Encouragement Award: $1,000
The William G. Blair Award: $1,000

The 2013 jury includes soprano Leslie Fagan, former Metropolitan Opera administrator Alfred Hubay, conductor and New Amsterdam Singers Music Director Clara Longstreth, conductor and Cantori New York Artistic Director Mark Shapiro, and conductor and Oratorio Society of New York Music Director Kent Tritle. The pianist for the competition is Linda Hall.

The 2012 winners were bass-baritone Dashon Burton, baritone Tobias Greenhalgh, tenor Jon-Michael Ball, and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein.

The Oratorio Society of New York created the competition to encourage the art of oratorio singing and to give talented young singers an opportunity to advance their careers. The Solo Competition has long been international in scope, and is well known in the music world - since its inception, more than 3,400 singers have competed and upwards of 100 winners chosen. In addition, more than 65 performance contracts have been awarded to Competition winners to appear in concert with the OSNY; many have also been awarded contracts with other major musical organizations.

The Solo Competition was renamed in 2006 in honor of Lyndon Woodside, the Society's late director. Previous winners include Jennifer Check, Michelle DeYoung, Tyler Duncan, Lauren Flanigan, Carl Halvorson, and Eric Owens.

OSNY 140th Season Concludes with Britten's War Requiem
The OSNY's concert season at Carnegie Hall will close on April 22, 2013 with a performance-Kent Tritle's first-of the monumental War Requiem by Benjamin Britten in commemoration of Britten's centennial year. Soloists are soprano Emalie Savoy, tenor John Matthew Myers, and baritone Jesse Blumberg; also featured are the Choristers of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.