Celebrity judges for the national competition will be bass-baritone Eric Owens, Sarasota Opera General Director Richard Russell, and soprano Tamara Wilson.
Schmidt Vocal Arts has announced the first national prize in the history of the Schmidt Vocal Competition, in celebration of its 25th anniversary season. This annual event for U.S. high school students, funded by the William E. Schmidt Foundation, sees 400+ singers compete each year - this season for more than $625K in cash awards and scholarships - just at the critical point in their early careers when they begin to look toward training on a professional level. SVA will hold sixteen day-long regional competitions throughout the 2021-22 season in locations from coast to coast, and the top three winners of each - as well as from an independent, virtual cohort - will be invited to compete in the national competition, hosted by Sarasota Opera in the company's William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre from June 3-5, 2022. Celebrity judges for the national competition will be bass-baritone Eric Owens, Sarasota Opera General Director Richard Russell, and soprano Tamara Wilson.
Since debuting in 1997, the Schmidt Vocal Competitions have touched the lives of over 5,000 developing singers, awarding a total of $1.6 million in cash prizes and scholarships in pursuit of Schmidt Vocal Arts' mission to foster a passion in young artists for classical singing and create opportunities to propel them on their journey toward a career in the arts. The milestone of SVA's first national competition will take place over a long weekend, beginning with a Friday arrival of 51 singers from across the country and rehearsals with pianists. On Saturday are the semi-finals, heard by a panel of six judges. At an alumni concert that evening, up to sixteen finalists will be announced for the finals round on Sunday, and four encouragement awards ($300) will be given to non-finalists, three of whom will also be invited to participate in a Sunday master class with soprano Judith Haddon, soprano Dr. Katherine Jolly, and tenor Stanford Olsen. Owens, Russell, and Wilson will judge the finals round and decide upon the First Place ($10,000), Second Place ($7,500), Third Place ($5,000), and Finalist ($650) Awards. A reception and awards ceremony wraps up the weekend on Sunday evening.
William E. Schmidt was a decorated military pilot, successful businessman, and lifelong, generous supporter of the arts and charitable organizations in the communities where he lived. Born in Irvine, Kentucky in 1933, he came from a family that loved music and believed in the power of education. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University, and his master's degree in business administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
After the death of his mother, and with close counsel of his sister, Anna Lee Schmidt Hamilton - a versatile singer who did postgraduate study at Indiana University and Germany's Heidelberg Conservatory of Music before teaching, conducting, and performing variously at Butler University, the Indianapolis Opera Company, and the Indiana Opera Theatre - he founded the Schmidt Vocal Competition, first held at the University of Indianapolis in 1997. With these contests, as well as with his meaningful support of other scholarship programs at numerous universities, schools, and community organizations, he provided a remarkable legacy of dedication to the arts and youth that his Foundation continues to build upon today. In his later life, Schmidt moved to Sarasota, Florida, where he became a substantial behind-the-scenes supporter of several key community projects, including the Sarasota Opera. He died in 2014 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's Disease, but his love for and commitment to the arts and the community live on in his family, friends, and colleagues. The William E. Schmidt Foundation captures his entrepreneurial and hard-working spirit in the initiatives and projects it selects to fund - always grounded in innovation and led by those committed to a worthy mission.Oct 2
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