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George London Foundation Announces Singers for 2018-19 Season
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 05, 2018
The George London Foundation for Singers has been honoring, supporting, and presenting the finest young opera singers in the U.S. and Canada since 1971. The foundation and the George London Awards (the prize of the foundation's annual competition) are named for the legendary Canadian-American bass-baritone, one of the greatest opera singers of 20th century, who devoted much of his time and energy in his later years to the support and nurturing of young opera singers.
As the London Foundation gears up for both its 50th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of George London's birth in the 2020-21 season, its 2018-19 season of events comprises three duo recitals featuring with five recent George London Award winners and one of America's leading tenors, and the famed George London Foundation Competition which, as the New York Times said, "can rightfully claim to act as a springboard for major careers in opera."
All events take place at Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan - and tickets include admission to the Morgan.
The George London Foundation Recital Series, which presents pairs of outstanding opera singers, many of whom were winners of a George London Award, continues in its 23rd year:
· Michelle Bradley, soprano, and Will Liverman, baritone, with Ken Noda, piano. Both singers are 2017 George London Award winners; of that competition's finals, New York Classical Review said of Bradley, "With her gorgeous voice, rich, rounded, and violet colored, she sang Verdi's 'D'amor sull ali rosee' from Il Trovatore, and it was tremendous," and also praised Will Liverman's "lovely, involved 'Gregory's Aria' from The Tsar's Bride." Sunday, December 2, 2018, at 4:00 pm
· Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor, and Amy Owens, soprano, with Warren Jones, piano. Griffey, arguably the world's reigning interpreter of the title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, appears in the 2018-19 Metropolitan Opera U.S. premiere production of Nico Muhly's Marnie. Amy Owens, who received critical acclaim when she stepped into the U.S. premiere of Milhaud's La mère coupable with On Site Opera in New York City last summer, won a $5,000 prize at the 2018 George London competition, and was praised by New York Classical Review for the "steely, pinpoint-accurate rendition of 'I am the wife of Mao Tse Tung,'" from Adams's Nixon in China. Sunday, March 24, 2019, at 4:00 pm
· Julie Adams, soprano, and Emily D'Angelo, mezzo-soprano, with Ken Noda, piano. Adams, a 2015 George London Award winner, starred in the West Coast premiere of Kevin Puts's Silent Night with Opera San Jose last year, prompting Opera Today to say, "Her rich, creamy, agile soprano was of the highest quality, the kind that prompts excited 'who-is-she?' intermission chatter (and beyond)." D'Angelo won her George London Award earlier this year, and was praised thus by New York Classical Review: "D'Angelo [was] among the most impressive, with a sublime rendition of Rosina's 'Una voce poco fa' from Barbiere di Siviglia, fitting her smoky mezzo-soprano over the contours of the aria like an impeccably tailored glove." Sunday, May 5, 2019, at 4:00 pm
The 48th annual George London Foundation Competition begins with three days of preliminary auditions and culminates with the final round and award ceremony open to the public. The 2019 competition takes place February 18-20, and the public is invited to attend the competition finals and awards announcement on Friday, February 22, 2019, at 4:00 pm. The 2018 competition winners were soprano Lauren Margison; mezzo-sopranos Raehann Bryce-Davis, Rihab Chaieb, and Emily D'Angelo; baritone Benjamin Taylor; and bass-baritone Lawson Anderson.
Watch full selections from the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 competitions on the George London Foundation's website: http://www.georgelondon.org/videos.html
The George London Foundation Competition and Recital Series
The George London Foundation Competition is one of the oldest vocal competitions in the United States and Canada, and it offers among the most substantial awards.
Through the annual juried competition for outstanding young American and Canadian opera singers (under the age of 35 who must have performed at least one professional engagement), awards are given to the most promising performers: at the 2018 competition, a total of $83,000 was given in the form of six George London Awards of $10,000, three awards of $5,000, and eight awards of $1,000.
As is not always the case in musical competitions, no fee is charged to the applicants or competitors, a pianist is provided for the competition rounds, and the prizes are awarded immediately.
The recital series began at the Morgan in 1995 as a way to give grantees exposure and experience, and, in many cases, a New York recital debut. Each season consists of three events featuring recent award winners sometimes paired with a well-known international artist - often a past George London Award winner - that have in recent years included Joyce DiDonato, Eric Owens, Stephen Costello, Ailyn Perez, Matthew Polenzani, Christine Brewer, Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, René Pape, Samuel Ramey, Frederica von Stade, Bryn Terfel, and Dawn Upshaw.
The Legacy of George London
The goal of the London Foundation, the support and nurturing of young singers, was an abiding interest of the great American bass-baritone George London, who devoted a great part of the time and energy of his later years to this purpose. "Remembering his difficult road to success, George wanted to devise a way to make the road a little easier for future generations of singers," said George London Foundation President Nora London. Initially created under the auspices of the National Opera Institute, the George London Awards program has been administered since 1990 directly by the Foundation as a living legacy to George London's own exceptional talent and generosity. Visit www.georgelondon.org.
2018-19 Artists
Michelle Bradley, soprano (2017 George London-Leonie Rysanek Award), a native of Houston, Texas, is completing her final year of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Roles she has performed include Mozart's Fiordiligi and Donna Anna, Strauss' Marschallin, and Verdi's Alice Ford. This past season, Ms. Bradley returned to the Met for the role of Clotilde in the new David McVicar production of Norma; last season at the Met included debuts in Mozart's Idomeneo and as the High Priestess in Verdi's Aida. Other engagements included recitals at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and at New York's Park Avenue Armory. Michelle Bradley management page
Will Liverman, baritone (2017 George London Award), a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been praised by The New York Times as "mellow-voiced and charismatic" and identified as a baritone to watch by Opera News. This past season he performed the role of Figaro in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia in return engagements with the Seattle Opera and Kentucky Opera, and the role of Tommy McIntyre in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Fellow Travelers for its Lyric Unlimited initiative. Recent highlights include his reprisal of the role of Dizzy Gillespie in Daniel Schnyder's Charlie Parker's Yardbird with English National Opera after originating the role at Opera Philadelphia in 2015 and additionally performing the role at the Apollo Theater, Madison Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. www.willliverman.com
Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor, a native of High Point, North Carolina, has captured critical and popular acclaim on opera, concert and recital stages around the world. During the 2018-19 season Mr. Griffey returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the Met premiere of Nico Muhly's Marnie conducted by Robert Spano. A supporter of new works, Mr. Griffey has won critical acclaim for creating the role of Mitch in the world premiere of André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire at the San Francisco Opera and for his performances of Lennie in Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men. He also recently premiered Christopher Theofanidis's The Gift with the Pittsburgh Symphony. www.anthonydeangriffey.com
Amy Owens, soprano (2018 $5,000 Award from the George London Foundation), a native of Brookfield, Wisconsin, began the summer 2017 season creating the title role in David Hanlon's Listen, Wilhelmina! with Wolf Trap Opera, after which she was called on two weeks' notice to step into the belated U.S. premiere of Milhaud's La mère coupable with On Site Opera in New York City, receiving great acclaim for her interpretation of the role of Florestine. This past season, Ms. Owens' operatic engagements included her Verdi role debut as Oscar in Livermore Valley Opera's production of Un ballo in maschera and developing the role of Little Stone in a Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theater workshop collaboration for Matthew Aucoin's new opera Eurydice. www.amyowenssoprano.com
Julie Adams, soprano (2015 George London Award), a native of Burbank, California, is also a winner of the 2014 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the 2015 Elizabeth Connell prize for aspiring dramatic sopranos, and recipient of a 2015 Sara Tucker Study Grant. She has been praised by the New York Times for possessing a voice that is "rich, full and slightly earthy in an expressive way." This past season saw Ms. Adams return to San Francisco Opera as a guest artist in Francesca Zambello's production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, singing Freia in Das Rheingold and Gerhilde in Die Walküre. Additional engagements included her house and role debut as Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at Michigan Opera Theatre, conducted by Stephen Lord and her house debut at Opera Idaho as Blanche in Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire. www.julieadamssoprano.com
Emily D'Angelo, mezzo-soprano (2018 George London Award), a native of Toronto, Ontario, has been described as having "a voice hued like a polished teak" by The New York Times. The Canadian-Italian singer has been seen at the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, at the Canadian Opera Company as Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Annio in La clemenza di Tito. She is completing her first year in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. This past season also saw performances of Die Zauberflöte in concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performances and a recording of Vaughn Williams Serenade to Music with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; this summer includes her role debut as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at The Glimmerglass Festival in a new production by Francesca Zambello. www.emilydangelo.com
George London Award Winners 1971-2018 - A Selected List
Paul Appleby
Isabel Bayrakdarian
Rockwell Blake
Russell Braun
Measha Brüggergosman
Vinson Cole
Alexandra Deshorties
Michelle DeYoung
Maria Ewing
Ruth Falcon
Renée Fleming
Mary Ann McCormick
Bejun Mehta
Latonia Moore
Deborah Polaski
Emalie Savoy
Neil Shicoff
Diana Soviero
James Valenti
George London FOUNDATION FOR SINGERS 2018-19 SEASON
Sunday, December 2, 2018, at 4:00 pm
The Morgan Library & Museum
George London Foundation Recital
Michelle Bradley, Soprano
Will Liverman, Baritone
Ken Noda, Piano
Tickets: $55
Friday, February 22, 2019, at 4:00 pm
The Morgan Library & Museum
48th ANNUAL George London FOUNDATION COMPETITION
Final Round and Awards Announcement
Tickets: $55
Sunday, March 24, 2019, at 4:00 pm
The Morgan Library & Museum
George London Foundation Recital
Anthony Dean Griffey, Tenor
Amy Owens, Soprano
Warren Jones, Piano
Tickets: $55
Sunday, May 5, 2019, at 4:00 pm
The Morgan Library & Museum
George London Foundation Recital
Julie Adams, Soprano
EMILY D'ANGELO, Mezzo-soprano
Ken Noda, Piano
Tickets: $55
Subscriptions to the three-recital series are $150; to all four events, $200. Tickets and information: (646) 461-3578, info@georgelondon.org
Videos