[DALLAS, February 13, 2024]—The Dallas Opera (TDO) presents the final round of The Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition on Friday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m., at the Winspear Opera House.
Hailing from across the U.S. and four countries, the nine finalists are: soprano Katerina Burton, soprano Adia Evans—who won TDO’s 2023 Lone Star Vocal Competition and automatically advanced to this final round, soprano Elisa Sunshine, mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali, countertenor Cody Bowers, tenor Matthew Cairns, baritone Navasard Hakobyan, baritone Yeongtaek Yang, bass-baritone Jongwon Han.
Finalists in the 32nd annual competition, which is sponsored by Bravo!, formerly The Dallas Opera Guild, will be accompanied by The Dallas Opera Orchestra, led by Paolo Bressan. All tickets are $10.
The finalists will each perform one aria for the final round performance. Repertoire includes selections by Verdi, Rossini, Handel, Puccini, Wagner and more.
Winners will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges: The Dallas Opera’s Artistic Consultant David Lomelí (Chair), Paul Hopper, Senior Director, Artistic Planning, LA Opera; Andreas Melinat, Vice President, Artistic Planning at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Nicole Paiement, The Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor at The Dallas Opera and Founder and Artistic Director of Opera Parallèle; and Kristian Roberts, Director of Education at The Dallas Opera.
In addition to the opportunity to perform with The Dallas Opera Orchestra, three prizewinners, plus a People’s Choice award winner, receive cash prizes.The competition is open to applicants aged 18-34 from all U.S states and territories, including international students attending American colleges, universities, and music conservatories. Also eligible are active members of any young artist program associated with an American opera company.Preliminary and semi-final rounds are held privately.
Previous prizewinners in The Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition have gone on to establish impressive careers, including soprano Marjorie Owens, who appears with The Dallas Opera this season in the title role of Elektra; Latonia Moore, Kecia Ashford, Katherine Bongfeldt, and Mary Dunleavy; mezzo sopranos J’Nai Bridges, Kelly Kimball, and Randalee Maddox; countertenors Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and John Holiday; tenors Clifton Forbis—who sings Aegisth in Elektra, Jesús Garcia, Scott Quinn, and Scott Scully; baritones Thomas Cannon, Christopher Holmes, Weston Hurt, Steven LaBrie, and Erik Nelson Werner; and bass Matthew Treviño, among many others.
ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
One of the leading opera companies in the country, The Dallas Opera has an extraordinary legacy of world-class productions and thrilling premieres featuring the greatest operatic artists of our time. Inaugurated in 1957 with a concert featuring the incomparable Maria Callas, TDO is known for the notable U.S. debuts of a host of legendary artists including Plácido Domingo, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, Franco Zeffirelli, and Sir David McVicar. The company has long been an industry leader and innovator through groundbreaking initiatives including the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, free and low-cost digital streaming, public simulcasts, acclaimed art song recitals, the national vocal competition, special concerts, and outstanding family and award-winning education programs. TDO’s home is the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House in the Dallas Arts District. As one of the largest performing arts employers in North Texas, TDO is proudly committed to diversity, both onstage and off, and is a major contributor to the economic vitality and international cultural reputation of this region.
For more details, visit dallasopera.org
LISTING DETAILS:
Friday, March 8, 2024, at 7:30pm
National Vocal Competition
The Dallas Opera Orchestra
- Winspear Opera House
- The Dallas Opera Orchestra
- Paolo Bressan, conductor
- The Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition, Final Round
- Katerina Burton, soprano | “Tu che le vanità” from Don Carlo (Verdi)
- Adia Evans, soprano | “Depuis le jour” from Louise (Charpentier)
- Elisa Sunshine, soprano | “Ah vos jeux, mes amis” (Mad Scene) from Hamlet (Thomas)
- Lisa Marie Rogali, mezzo-soprano | “Una voce poco fa” from Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
- Cody Bowers, countertenor | “Furibondo spira il vento” from Partenope (Handel)
- Matthew Cairns, tenor | “E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca (Puccini)
- Navasard Hakobyan, tenor | “Cruda, funesta smania” from Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)
- Yeongtaek Yang, baritone | “O du mein holder Abendstern” from Tannhäuser (Wagner)
- Jongwon Han, bass-baritone | “Ves tabar spit” from Aleko (Rachmaninoff)
Tickets: $10.
Tickets are available at dallasopera.org or via phone at 214.443.1000. Visit dallasopera.org for more information.
Programs and artists subject to change.
