Opera at Florham's 28th Annual Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition Names Winners

On Sunday, April 24th Opera at Florham (OAF) held its 28th Annual Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition. This year, OAF experienced a record breaking number of applicants which yielded more finalists than ever before. The finalists competed on Sunday at Lenfell Hall in the Mansion at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Florham Park Campus.

Prizes were awarded to the three winners: first prize of $5,000 donated by Gerda Lissner Foundation went to Andre Courville, Bass-baritone; second prize of $3,000 to Marie Natale, Soprano, donated by Joseph DuPont, and third prize of $1,500 to Chloe Moore, Soprano, donated by Eleni Matos and Betty McColgan. Encouragement Awards of $200 were given to the other finalists, donated by OAF and additional donors.

The preliminary judging of the record shattering 114 candidates was held on April 18- 20 in New York City at the Kosciuszko Foundation Concert Hall to choose finalists for the April 24thevent. Usually, 8-10 finalists are chosen for the Competition but this year, the judges advanced to a whopping 18 finalists because the talent was so superior that it was difficult or unfair to choose only 10.

Each finalist performed an aria of his or her choice to be judged by a panel of renowned opera figures and jurists based on voice quality, technique, intonation, diction, interpretation, and stage presence. The judges included Stephen DeMaio, Maestra Eva Quelar, Robert Lombardo, Barbara Ann Testa, and a fifth judge, James Thurmond Smithgall. Stephen DeMaio is President of the Gerda Lissner Foundation and this foundation was cited by Opera News as one of the most prestigious foundations fostering the careers of young artists with very generous financial awards. Maestra Eve Queler is the Conductor and Artistic Director of Opera Orchestra of New York. Robert Lombardo is an Artists' Manager and Consultant to opera and recording companies who has managed for the past forty-five years many of the leading opera artists of our time. Barbara Ann Testa is a famous soprano who had a wonderful career in Italy. James Thurmond Smithgall is an outstanding international jurist, patron of the arts, artists' representative guiding the careers of many young singers.

While the judges deliberated on this year's winners, last year's 1st prize winner, Alasdair Kent, performed an aria from an opera by Leo Delibes' Lakme: Fantaisie aux divins mensonges. As part of the Musical Interlude, Ariana Krasniqi DuPont played Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor, op 23.

After deliberation, the judges determined the 2016 Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition winners. All the judges stated at the Competition that the quality of the talent was comparable to the New York Metropolitan area and that the decision to choose just three winners was really very difficult. Several of the finalists also placed in the Competitions held in New York City such as Gerda Lissner and Puccini.

First prize winner Andre Courville, Bass baritone, a resident artist at Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA), Philadelphia PA, recently debuted as Leporello in Don Giovanni at AVA, with Caramoor Music Festival as Monterone in Rigoletto, and with the Milwaukee Symphony as Masetto in Don Giovanni. A Louisiana native, Courville is the recipient of numerous honors, including first place in the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition and recent winner in many of the NYC Musical Foundation Competitions.

Second prize winner Maria Natale, Soprano made her principal role professional debut with Sarasota Opera in 2013 as the role Liù in Turandot and was praised for her "unequivocal Italian sound" (New Outpost). From 2010-2012 Ms. Natale was a Knoxville Opera Studio artist. She received her Master's degree from the University of Tennessee and Bachelors in Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Third prize winner Chloe Moore, Soprano is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and has performed roles with the Castleton Festival, Arizona Opera, Central City Opera, Crested Butte Music Festival among others.

The accomplished piano accompanist, Mary Pinto, was complemented by Chairman, Steve DeMaio, in that she played sight unseen, the music presented to her by the finalists. It was quite an entertaining and exciting afternoon listening to such talent singing from their repertoire sometimes lesser known operatic arias to demonstrate their exclusive talent in an effort to distinguish themselves from the others.

For more information regarding Opera at Florham, the Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition, or this year's finalist, visit OperaatFlorham.org, call (973) 443-8620, or email info@OperaatFlorham.org. Donations can be mailed to Opera at Florham, P.O. Box 434, Convent Station, NJ 07961.

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