Oratorio Society of New York Announces Winners of 37th Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, the Oratorio Society of New York announced the winners of the 37th Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, the only major vocal competition devoted to solo oratorio singing. Immediately following the competition's final round at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, at which eight singers each sang two selections from the oratorio repertoire, the following prizes were announced:

The Ellen Lopin Blair Award for First Place ($7,000): Sara Murphy, Mezzo-soprano
The Stanley C. Meyerson Award for Second Place ($5,000): Abigail Levis, Mezzo-soprano
The Docia Goodwin Franklin Award for Third Place ($2,500): Bethany Hörst, Soprano

The following prizes were also awarded:

The Frances MacEachron Award ($1,500): Kathryn Mueller, Soprano
The Johannes Somary Award ($1,500): Joseph Buetel, Bass-baritone
The Lyndon Woodside Encouragement Award ($1,000): Samantha Louis-Jean, Soprano
The William G. Blair Award ($1,000): Kate Maroney, Mezzo-soprano
The Leopold Damrosch Award ($500): Jeremy Ludwig, Baritone

The eight finalists were selected from 24 semifinalists (of more than 100 applicants). The 2013 jury included 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 was 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 music 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.