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
*****VIRTUAL SEMI-FINALS & FINALS JURY*****
(Alphabetical Ordering)
Alexander Fernandez - Chief Casting Director
Opera Nacional de Chile
Alan Fischer - Chair, Vocal Music Department (former)
The Governor’s School for the Arts
Samuel Gelber* - Director of Artistic Planning & Operations
Washington National Opera - The Kennedy Center
Boris Ignatov* - Casting Director
Staatsoper Stuttgart, Staatsoper Stuttgart International Opera Studio
Chandler Johnson - Manager, Casting & Apprentice Program
Santa Fe Opera
Dominik Licht - Casting & Artistic Planning
Royal Danish Opera, Salzburg Easter Festival
David Lomeli* - Chief Artistic Officer & Casting Consultant
Santa Fe Opera & Bayerische Staatsoper, Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera
Eric Margiore - President & Artistic Managing Director
Premiere Opera Foundation & Premiere Artists Mgmt, Premiere Opera Vocal Arts Institute
Constantine Orbelian - Music Director & Chief Conductor
New York City Opera & Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Delos Records
Leticia Martín Ruiz* - Deputy Artistic & Production Director
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Kristin Sampson - Artistic Administrator
New York City Opera
Sung Shin - Founder & General Director
Opera Under the Arch
Brian Speck* - Artistic Administrator, Casting
Metropolitan Opera
Megan Weston - General Director
Athena Music Foundation
* indicates Finals only
*****LIVE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS JURY*****
(Alphabetical Ordering)
Guy Barzilay - President & Founder
Guy Barzilay Artists
Alexander Fernandez - Chief Casting Director
Opera Nacional de Chile
Boris Ignatov** - Casting Director
Staatsoper Stuttgart, Staatsoper Stuttgart International Opera Studio
Dominik Licht - Casting & Artistic Planning
Royal Danish Opera, Salzburg Easter Festival
David Lomeli** - Chief Artistic Officer & Casting Consultant
Santa Fe Opera & Bayerische Staatsoper, Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera
Eric Margiore - President & Artistic Managing Director
Premiere Opera Foundation & Premiere Artists Mgmt, Premiere Opera Vocal Arts Institute
George Martynuk* - President & Founder
George M Martynuk Artists Mgmt & Public Relations
Constantine Orbelian** - Music Director & Chief Conductor
New York City Opera & Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Delos Records
Mitchell Piper* - President & Executive Director
Opera Managers Association International & Piper Artist Mgmt, Trentino Music Festival
Kristin Sampson** - Artistic Administrator
New York City Opera
Sung Shin - Founder & General Director
Opera Under the Arch
Brian Speck* - Artistic Administrator, Casting
Metropolitan Opera
Meredith Wallace** - Director of Artistic Administration
Atlanta Opera
Megan Weston - General Director
Athena Music Foundation
* indicates Finals only ** indicates Finals only via Livestream
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