Students came from afar for opera singing competition

2012 winners

High School Vocal Competition

First place: Scott Feyche of Lakota West High School

Second place (tie): Kathleen Baudendistel of Valley View High School, Carly Snyder of Centerville High School

Third place (tie): Amanda Stollings of Stivers High School, Tyrinn Poole of Stivers High School

Tri-State College Vocal Competition

First place: mezzo soprano Alyssa Martin, Indiana University

Second place: baritone Nicholas Ward, University of Cincinnati

Other finalists: mezzo soprano Melisa Bonetti, University of Cincinnati; soprano Lauren Dickel, Oberlin University; soprano Annalise Dzwonczyk, University of Cincinnati; baritone Chance Eakin, University of Cincinnati.

The weekend of April 28 was a big one for the future of Midwest opera.

That’s when Oakwood played host to the Dayton Opera Guild’s annual high school and college vocal competitions.

“These youngsters, when you hear them sing and realize how hard they’ve worked, it’s amazing,” said Linda Menz, organizer of the high school event. “(The competition) prepares them whether they’re going off to major in music or not, and I love seeing them encouraged.”

About 20 high school students from across Ohio signed up to compete this year, gathering at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Oakwood and performing songs of their choice. While the high-schoolers rarely sing true opera pieces — their voices aren’t, in most cases, ready for the intensity and range involved — the college competition calls for opera arias.

“We do want arias in the original language, sometimes Italian, French, German and sometimes English, and it’s really a lot of fun to listen to them,” said Kathy Brown, organizer of the college event. “I enjoy seeing what kinds of choices each of these young people make, because they certainly don’t choose the same things over and over.”

This year, 22 recordings by students hailing from Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky were submitted. Six finalists were then chosen to perform at least two arias each at the final competition, which is open to the public.

“Most people don’t realize how good these students are,” Brown said.

This year’s overall winner and audience favorite was Alyssa Martin of Indiana University. The graduate mezzo soprano student is enrolled in the master’s in voice performance program at the university’s Jacobs School of Music. Martin received $2,500 for her win and $400 for being voted audience favorite. She is the daughter of Susan and David Martin of Stokesdale, N.C.

Second place went to Nicholas Ward, a baritone student in the master’s music program at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He took home $1,500 for his placing. The University of Michigan graduate is the son of William Ward and Jeannine and Chris Krellwitz.

All other finalists received $150.

The judges were Tom Bankston, general and artistic director of Dayton Opera; Lee Hoffman, assistant professor of voice and director of opera workshop at Central State University, and Dr. Eric Street, professor of piano at the University of Dayton.

Previous winners have gone on to successful musical careers, including Elizabeth De Shong (2001) and Alyson Cambridge (2000), who have performed with the Metropolitan Opera and a number of other prominent opera companies, and Scott Skiba (2003), director of operations and resident stage director for Cleveland-based Opera per Tutti and director of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music’s Oberlin in Italy summer program.

During the judges’ deliberations, winners from the previous day’s high school competition entertained the crowd.

Brown said the high school event, which invites singers from anywhere in Ohio, got its start in 1974. It’s sponsored by the Norma J. Ross Youth Foundation in honor of an Opera Guild alum who was involved in diversity and educational initiatives for the Guild for many years.

This year’s competition was judged by Brent Manley of Xenia High School; tenor Matias Mariani, an artist-in-residence for Dayton Opera; and Dr. Sharon Gratto, chair of the Department of Music at the University of Dayton.

“Every year, when I hear the kids sing and hear their voices, it encourages me to do it again next year,” said Linda Menz, organizer of the high school event. “I don’t want us to lose something that’s so valuable to us.”

Contact contributing writer Ria Megnin at ria@riamegnin.com.