Promoting Artistic Excellence and Education in Opera

 

 

Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition

2012 Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners and all finalists who competed at the Memphis convention on January 5, 2012!

DIVISION I

1st Place: Brigham Young University

Stage and Musical Director: Lawrence Vincent
Collaborative Pianist: John Sargeant
Le nozze di Figaro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

2nd Place: Missouri Western State University

Stage and Musical Director: Susan Carter
Collaborative Pianist: Donovan Jones
The Telephone Gian-Carlo Menotti

3rd Place: University of Montevallo

Musical and Stage Director: Charles Wood
Collaborative Pianist: Laurie Middaugh
Cosí fan tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Finalist: Stanford University

Musical Director:  Marie-Louise Catsalis                   
Stage Director:  Nova Jimenez
Collaborative Pianist:  Marie-Louise Catsalis
Der Schauspieldirektor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Finalist: Sam Houston State University

Stage and Musical Director:  Rebecca Renfro Grimes
Collaborative Pianist:  Robert Hunt
La Serva Padrona Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

DIVISION II

1st Place: Brigham Young University

Stage and Musical Director: Lawrence Vincent
Collaborative Pianist: John Sargeant
Cosí fan tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

2nd Place: Georgia State University

Stage Director:  Carroll Freeman                   
Musical Director:  Rolando Salazar
Collaborative Pianist:  Daniel Solberg
The Medium Gian-Carlo Menotti

3rd Place: University of Alabama

Stage and Musical Director: Paul Houghtaling
Collaborative Pianist: Brad Baker
Costume Design: Jack Schmitz
Manon Jules Massenet

Finalist: Emporia State University

Stage and Musical Director: Penny Speedie              
Collaborative Pianist:  Boram Shin
The Fisher, The Fish, and the Wife Bruce Trinkley

Finalist (unable to attend): Bowling Green State University

Stage Director:  Sean Cooper            
Musical Director and Pianist:  Kevin Bylsma
Pelléas et Mélisande Claude Debussy

2012 Competition Announcement

Click the image to view the complete flyer.

2012 Competition Guidelines

The guidelines for 2013 will be announced in the coming months.

Eligibility

• Competition is for college and university programs only.
• All participants must be current students at the time of the competition.
• Directors must be members of NOA and pay the convention fee.
  (Directors bringing five or more students will receive a discount).
• Each student participant will pay a reduced student registration convention fee of $60.

• There is a $25.00 fee per application to enter the competition. This fee may be sent as a paper copy to the Chair of the COSC or paid on-line through PayPal on the NOA website.
• The scene entry shall have been performed between October 15, 2010 and October 15, 2011.

• The scene submitted for the Preliminary Round does not have to be the same scene presented in the Final Round at the convention, but must meet the same criteria in the guidelines.

• A college or university may enter more than one scene, but may not repeat singers.  Each scene selected for the finals must have individual casts.

Guidelines

Competition Categories:

Division I: All performers are between the ages of 18 – 23 (primarily undergraduates)
Division II: All performers are age 23 and older (primarily graduate students)

(In the case of a scene cast with mixed ages, the committee will determine the division category for that entry. The ages will be averaged to determine appropriate placement.)

Length of Scene:

Suggested scene length is 8 – 10 minutes. The timekeeper will stop any scene longer than ten minutes, but no penalty will accrue. There is no minimum requirement.

Set/Props/Costumes:

Set pieces are limited to rehearsal blocks and convention hotel tables and chairs located in the meeting room in which the competition will take place. No other set pieces are to be utilized in the scene. Props and costumes are at the discretion of the director.

Performance Space:

The committee will request the largest stage available at the hotel that is not less than a 24 feet x 16 feet platform.

Judging Criteria:

The scene will be judged on musical style and accuracy, diction, vocal quality, basic stagecraft, individual characterization and ensemble interaction, and creative use of set, props, and costumes based on the competition limitations.
Scenes that are not in the standard repertoire (new works) shall provide three copies of the music for judging purposes.

Preliminary Round

A completed application (available as a Word document or PDF form ) and a tape or DVD of the 8 – 10 minute (maximum) scene postmarked no later than October 15, 2011 (ed: deadline extended to October 31, 2011) and mailed to: David Holley, 2704 West Market St., Greensboro, NC 27403. Tape and DVD excerpts should be labeled only with the opera and scene name to preserve anonymity for the preliminary judging round. There should be no identifying features listed within the DVD, otherwise the application will be disqualified. A scene shall receive two affirmative votes out of three to advance to the finals.

Final Round

• A maximum of ten finalists will advance and compete in a live performance at the National Convention in Memphis, TN, on Thursday, January 5, 2012.
• Upon being moved to the finals, an official letter of invitation to the Convention shall be extended to the director by November 15, 2011.
• Finalists will notify the COSC Chair of their acceptance and submit the Finalist Information Form no later than November 25, 2011.
• Winners will be recognized directly after the competition. First place winners will receive an engraved plaque with second and third place winners receiving a certificate. All finalists will receive a participation certificate.
• The first place winners of both Divisions will be featured in their own session on Friday, January 6, 2012 during the convention. This will be a master class situation with two professional directors. In the case of a first place winner not being available, the COSC committee may substitute a second place winner for this opportunity.
• Video of the winning scenes will be posted on the NOA website following the January convention.

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