San Francisco Opera Announces Winner Of 2019 Jan Shrem And Maria Manetti Shrem Emerging Stars Competition

San Francisco Opera announces Canadian soprano Andriana Chuchman as the winner of the 2019 Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Emerging Stars Competition. Chuchman made her Company debut as Mary Hatch in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's It's a Wonderful Life last fall and was named "2019 Emerging Star of the Year" based on a popular vote conducted online at sfopera.com from July 9-July 31, 2019. As winner of the competition, now in its fourth year, Chuchman receives a $10,000 cash prize.

Chuchman was one of eight artists appearing in San Francisco Opera's 2018-19 Season with support from the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Emerging Stars Fund who were nominated for the competition. The other nominees were soprano Christina Gansch and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke (Orlando); soprano Hye Jung Lee and tenor Daniel Johansson (Arabella); soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen (Rusalka); soprano Golda Schultz (It's a Wonderful Life) and mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges (Carmen).

Chuchman said: "Debuting at San Francisco Opera this past season has been one of the highlights of my career so far. Receiving the Emerging Star Award is a huge honour and a great way to cap off such a special moment. I want to give a huge thank you to my wonderful family, friends and fans who voted for me! I'm feeling the love! Your immense support of me and my talent means the world to me. And a big congrats to the entire group of stellar singers who were nominated. A special thank you to Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem for generously supporting this competition and award, and to San Francisco Opera for nominating me."

Maria Manetti Shrem said: "Jan and I were thrilled when we learned that Andriana won this year's Emerging Star of the Year competition. We are committed to celebrating all of the wonderful new artists at San Francisco Opera because they are important to keeping the art form fresh and inspiring. We are happy to continue supporting this competition, and we are excited to give this year's award to Andriana for her Company debut last fall in Jake Heggie's It's a Wonderful Life."

Jan Shrem added: "We recognize that all of the artists work hard to give powerful, beautiful performances on stage. Our goal is to build awareness of their artistry and talents through the Emerging Stars competition. We were delighted by Andriana's charming performance as Mary Hatch in It's a Wonderful Life and wish her all the best with her rising career."

The Emerging Stars Award is made possible by the Emerging Stars Fund, established through a multi-year, multimillion-dollar gift from Company benefactors Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem. Their gift provides crucial support for San Francisco Opera to celebrate rising artists and to engage the community in the thrill of experiencing these performers. Past recipients of the "Emerging Star of the Year" award include baritone Lucas Meachem and tenors Arturo Chacón-Cruz and Atalla Ayan.

Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, soprano Andriana Chuchman made her San Francisco Opera debut in Fall 2018 as Mary Hatch in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's It's a Wonderful Life. In the 2019-20 season, she has important role debuts as Michael in Handel's Saul at Houston Grand Opera, Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at Opera Omaha and Gilda in Rigoletto at Opera San Antonio. In addition, she returns to Hamburg State Opera and makes her house debut at the 2020 Salzburg Whitsun Festival in the title role of Orphée et Eurydice. Her concert engagements include Handel's Messiah with National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. She recently performed Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore, Miranda in The Enchanted Island, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel and Valencienne in The Merry Widow at the Metropolitan Opera; Eurydice in Orphée et Eurydice, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Yum-Yum in The Mikado and Valencienne with Lyric Opera of Chicago; her house and role debuts as Pat Nixon in John Adams' Nixon in China at Houston Grand Opera; Micaëla in La Tragédie de Carmen at San Diego Opera; Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with Los Angeles Opera; Boonyi/India in the world premiere of Jack Perla's Shalimar the Clown at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Gretel on the Glyndebourne Festival Tour; Magnolia in Show Boat and Marie in La Fille du Régiment with Washington National Opera; Magnolia at the Dallas Opera; John Adams' A Flowering Tree at Opera Omaha; Guinevere in Camelot at the Glimmerglass Festival; Yum, Cleopatra in Guilio Cesare, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Orff's Carmina Burana at Michigan Opera Theatre; Minka in Le Roi Malgré Lui at the Bard Music Festival; the title role of Flora, an Opera at the Spoleto Festival USA; and Alina in Giasone and Dorinda in Orlando at the Chicago Opera Theater. Chuchman is an alumna of the Merola Opera Program (2005, 2006), a recipient of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' 2017 Mabel Dorn Reeder Award and prizewinner at the Finals of the 2009 Neue Stimmen Competition in Germany.

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