Announcing the 2020 High School Vocal Competition

The Opera Guild’s annual High School Vocal Competition will be held on March 28, 2020, in Sears Recital Hall, Jesse Philips Humanities Center, University of Dayton. Students in the 11th and 12th grades in Ohio are invited to apply. The 2020 judges will be: Dr. Ryu-Kyung Kim from the University of Dayton, Prof. Benjamin Smolder from Miami University and Dr. Alexandra Schoeny, a singer and voice teacher based out of Cincinnati.

High School Vocal Competition Requirements

• Performance of two memorized selections. Selections may come from operatic, art song or musical theater literature. Please contact the chair, Dr. David Sievers, at dsievers1@udayton.edu for any questions regarding repertoire.
• Performance time not to exceed ten minutes
• Fully completed application

Date and Place of Competition

Students in the 11th or 12th grades in Ohio are invited to apply.
2020 Competition date: March 28, 2020
Location: Sears Recital Hall, Jesse Philips Humanities Center, University of Dayton

Applicants will be notified by email of audition times no later than
Wednesday before the competition.

Awards

First Place…………………………………………….. $800
Second Place………………………………………… $450
Third Place……………………………………………. $300

Additional Information

• Application form may be accessed by clicking here.
• Judges represent the vocal music field, including professional
singers, conductors, high school and college teachers and private voice teachers.
• Competitors are encouraged to provide their own accompanist. If music is
submitted a week in advance, an accompanist will be provided at no expense to entrant.
• Indicate any time conflict that should be considered when scheduling your audition time.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled audition time.
• Warm-up rooms will be available for limited use before auditions.
• First, second and third place winners are expected to perform at the Tri-State College Vocal Competition on April 5, 2020.

If you have questions or seek further information:

MAIL or EMAIL TO:
Dr. David Sievers
dsievers1@udayton.edu
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-0290
Telephone: 937/229-4971

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Amy Helms

David Lewis

Trinity Hines-Anthony

2019 High School Vocal Competition

The Opera Guild of Dayton held the 2019 High School Vocal Competition on Saturday, March 23, at the Fitz Center at the University of Dayton. This is always an exciting annual event featuring vocal talent and providing monetary awards for the best performances. Dr. David Sievers of the University of Dayton acted as chair for the Competition.

The winner of this year’s Competition is soprano Amy Helms, a senior from Kings High School in Maineville, Ohio. Baritone David Lewis picked up second place honors and soprano Trinity Hines-Anthony was the third place winner. Both David and Trinity attend Stivers School for the Arts. Honorable Mention goes to lyric soprano Elyse Schmidt from Beavercreek High School and soprano Olivia Helman from Granville High School. Congratulations to all.

The judges for this year’s Competition were: Andrea Chenoweth Wells, University of Dayton; Linda Snyder, emeritus University of Dayton; and Jamie Cordes, Wright State University. Dr. Sievers and the judges are members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding on the day of the Competition. Funding for the prize money awarded for the Competition came from the Norma J. Ross Foundation.

The Guild and Dr. Sievers heartily say:

2018 High School Vocal Competition

The Guild held its 2018 High School Vocal Competition  in Sears Recital Hall on the University of Dayton campus on March 24, 2018. Over twenty outstanding area students sang with skill and emotion to display a varied repertoire of musical selections. Winning first place was soprano Lauren Maynus (left), a junior at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati. Baritone Reed Gnepper (center), a junior at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, earned the second place honors. Third place went to Alaya Hinesmon (right), a senior at Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton. Honorable Mention was awarded to soprano Caroline Cruise, a senior from Olentangy Liberty High School in Columbus, and to baritone David Lewis, a junior at Stivers School for the Arts.

The cash awards for this year’s Competition were once again funded by the generosity of the Norma J. Ross Youth Foundation. The Guild is grateful that this fund has supported the High School Vocal Competition for many years.

Dr. David Sievers chaired this important Competition. The judges include: Dr. Minnita Daniel-Cox (right), soprano and coordinator of the voice area at the University of Dayton; Dr. Andrea Chenoweth Wells (left), artist-in-residence at the University of Dayton; and Sarah Bucher (center), soprano and private voice teacher. Many Guild volunteers helped make the day so successful. They included Judy Hudson, Nora Stang, Kathy Brown, Patrick and Suzanne Crippen. Dr. Sievers elicited the assistance of several enthusiastic UD music students and accompanists. Thanks to them all.

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2017 High School Vocal Competition

Opera Guild of Dayton held its annual High School Vocal Competition on March 18, 2017, at Fairmont Presbyterian Church. The Chair of the Competition, Dr. David Sievers from the University of Dayton, orchestrated the details for this special event. The judges for this year’s Competition were: Dr. Minnita Daniel-Cox from the University of Dayton, tenor Brian Skoog with Dayton Opera’s Artists-in-Residence and Alice Hotopp who is a private vocal coach.

• The First-Place ($600) winner was Anna Hlinomaz from Centerville High School.
• The Second-Place ($450) winner was Galen Adkins from Lebanon High School.
• The Third-Place ($300) winner was Destiny Donelson from Stivers School for the Arts.

Anna Hlinomaz

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The Guild extends a huge Thank You to The Norma J. Ross Youth Foundation for sponsoring this Competition many times in recent years.