Winners
ED ROSEN MEMORIAL GRAND PRIZE
TAKAOKI ONISHI - Baritone - $5,000
SECOND PRIZE
DASHAUI CHEN - Tenor - $2,500
DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY
MEMORIAL CAREER GRANT
TAKAOKI ONISHI - Baritone - $3,500
THIRD PRIZE
ZIYI DAI - Soprano - $1,500
TEATRO ALLA SCALA AUDITION PRIZE
All expense paid private audition for Toni Gradsack,
head of casting at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.
MARIO ROJAS - Tenor
PREMIERE OPERA VOCAL ARTS INSTITUTE STUDY GRANT
Tuition-free participation in POVAI, the prestigious summer operatic & vocal technique institute in the stunning Puglia region of Italy.
AARON CROUCH - Tenor
AUDIENCE FAVORITE
XIAOMENG ZHANG - Baritone - $1,000
DR. DAVID DICHIERA ENCOURAGEMENT GRANTS
AARON CROUCH - Tenor - $1,000
SAE LIN KIM - Mezzo Soprano - $1,000
MARIO ROJAS - Tenor - $1,000
DANIEL BIAGGI CAREER CONSULTATION PRIZES
DASHAUI CHEN - Tenor
ZIYI DAI - Soprano
ANASTASIIA SIDOROVA - Mezzo Soprano
CAROLYN SPROULE - Mezzo Soprano
XENI TZIOUVARAS - Mezzo Soprano
Jury
KEN BENSON
President - Ken Benson Artists, Consultant - The Juilliard School,
former Vice President - Columbia Artist Management
BEATRICE BENZI
Vocal Coach & Accompanist - Teatro alla Scala di Milano,
Accademia Teatro alla Scala, IYDV Institute for Young Dramatic Voices
DANIEL BIAGGI
Interim Artistic Director - Portland Opera, Artistic Advisor - Atkins Young Artist Program Mariinsky Theater, former General Director - Palm Beach Opera
RICHARD BONYNGE
Conductor - Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Opera Australia,
Decca Recording Artist, Commander Awardee - The British Empire
MARIO CORRADI
Opera Director - Torre del Lago Festival, Michigan Opera Theater,
University of Notre Dame, Yale University, Catholic University of Milan
BARBARA FRITTOLI
Soprano - Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala di Milano,
Royal Opera House, Vienna Staatsoper, Decca Recording Artist
WA WA HAO
Tenor - Opera Hong Kong, Royal Academy of Music, Director - China Forbidden City Hong Hua Culture Ltd, Premiere Opera Foundation
ERIC MARGIORE
Tenor - San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Founder - Premiere Opera Foundation, Premiere Opera Vocal Arts Institute,
Premiere Artists Management
JACK MASTROIANNI
Consultant - IMG Artists, Board Director - Georg Solti Accademia,
former Vice President - Columbia Artist Management
GERALD MARTIN MOORE
Vocal & Artistic Consultant - Glyndebourne Festival, Carnegie Hall Weill Music
Institute Song Studio, Curtis Institute of Music, Decca Records
CONSTANTINE ORBELIAN
Artistic Director - Armenian National Opera Yerevan, Chief Conductor - Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Delos Records, Grammy Award Nominee, former Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic
GIOVANNI PASOTTO
Managing Director - Centro Studi Italiani Italian Language Institute
JOAN PATENAUDE-YARNELL
Soprano - San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, New York City Opera
Voice Teacher - Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music
EVE QUELER
Artistic Director Emeritus - Opera Orchestra of New York,
Opera Honors Awardee - National Endowment for the Arts
LENORE ROSENBERG
Artistic Administrator - Spoleto Festival USA,
former Associate Artistic Administrator - Metropolitan Opera
Note From Our Founder
Dear Friends,
2017 brought us 400+ applicants from 10 different countries, with 150 semi finalists singing live auditions, 19 finalists, and 9 winners. Congratulations to all! A special thanks to our illustrious judges for their time and expertise: Ken Benson, Catherine Malfitano, Aprile Millo, Eve Queler, Lenore Rosenberg & Neil Shicoff, as well as to our inimitable advisory board. Luigi Caiola’s incredible generosity and support was unparalleled, as well as Stephen De Maio, and Dennis Zheng. The brilliant playing of pianist, Dr. Michael Fennelly, who supported the singers orchestrally with immense attention and nuance, was a treasure.
We thank everyone most sincerely and are looking forward to the future. Bravi tutti! We are excited and proud of what we all have accomplished in our very first year!
Thank you again very much for your continued support of our mission - we are deeply honored.
Sincerely,
Eric Margiore