March 14, 2019

The 2019 Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition takes place at Manhattan School of Music (MSM) on Thursday, March 28 at 4:00 pm.

Each year, the Competition showcases MSM voice student finalists who exhibit outstanding talent and strong potential for careers in opera. The winners will receive prize money to be used to support their professional development.

The distinguished judges for this year’s Competition, which will be held in MSM’s Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Performance Space, are mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, (Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago); Peter Russell, General Director of Vocal Arts DC; and Diane Zola, Assistant General Manager at the Metropolitan Opera.

The eight student finalists, listed below, were selected through a preliminary audition; all participants in the audition were nominated by their teachers at MSM.

Xiaotong Cao, soprano
Hannah Friesen, soprano
Sasha Gutiérrez, soprano
Sae Lin Kim, mezzo-soprano
Daniel Rich, baritone
Hyeree Shin, soprano
Kelly Singer, soprano
Polixeni Tziouvaras, mezzo-soprano

Each finalist will begin by performing a selection of his or her choice. The judges will request additional selections from the singers’ listed repertoire and may stop a piece at any time to go on to the next work or the next singer. Winners will be announced at a reception following the performances.

The Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition is made possible by a generous gift from the late Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades, longtime friends and benefactors of the School. Joan Taub Ades, whose “Joan’s Closet” initiative has been a major event in the life of the School for over a decade, is a member of the Manhattan School of Music Board of Trustees.

The Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition is free and open to the public.