Pittsburgh Festival Opera Presents Mildred Miller International Voice Competition

The Mildred Miller International Voice Competition was founded in 2011 to identify and nurture talented young singers. The competition is named for Pittsburgh Festival Opera founder Mildred Miller Posvar, who sang for 26 illustrious seasons at the Metropolitan Opera and other world capitals. Miller's acclaimed recordings include Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with conductor Bruno Walter, Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro with Erich Leinsdorf, and the commemorative concert and album celebrating the Boston Pops Orchestra 100th anniversary with Arthur Fiedler.

This season, Pittsburgh Festival Opera will be presenting a Special Mezzo-Soprano Edition in a digital-only format in response to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings. This is the 10th year of the event, so we are celebrating the year of the Mezzo to demonstrate the importance that voice-type plays in the history of the PFO - from its founding to its new artistic leadership. The competition is open only to Mezzo-Sopranos ages 18 and up. Prior winners have gone on to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Santa Fe Opera.

In September 2020, Pittsburgh Festival Opera received 155 applicant videos for consideration. From this initial screening, 13 finalists were chosen. On Friday, November 6 at 7:00 PM EST, all 13 finalists will be presented in an online concert featuring the high-definition videos that were created by the finalists using camera and audio equipment provided to each singer by Pittsburgh Festival Opera. The online audience can vote live for the "Audience Favorite" prize during this concert. Winners will be announced publicly on Sunday, November 8 at 7:00 PM EST and presented in an online concert featuring the videos of the First, Second, Third Prize, and Audience Favorite winners. On Saturday, November 7 at 7:00pm EST, there will be the premiere of a special feature celebrating the 10th anniversary of the competition.

The judging panel of internationally-acclaimed mezzo-sopranos will be led by Pittsburgh Festival Opera founder Mildred Miller Posvar and includes:

Marianne Cornetti, Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Festival Opera

Jane Bunnell, Mezzo-Soprano

Nancy Maultsby, Mezzo-Soprano

Susanne Mentzer, Mezzo-Soprano

The 2020 finalists are:

Veena Akama-Makia Little Rock, AR

Lindsay Kate Brown, Waterloo, NY

Maire Therese Carmack, Seattle, WA

Alice Chung, Loma Linda, CA

Avanti Dey, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Taylor-Alexis Dupont, Orlando, FL

Khady Gueye, Bronx, NY

Emily Harmon, Barrington, NH

Kimberly Milton, Lakeland, FL

Talin Nalbandian, Los Angeles, CA

Hannah Shea, Harrisburg, PA

Hilary Grace Taylor, Dallas, TX

Kate Tombaugh, Streator, IL

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