Leslie Luxemburg, Competition Chair, wash.intl.comp@fmmc.org

The sixtieth annual Washington International Competition for Voice was held on Sunday, March 17, 2013 and Monday, March 18, 2013.

The semifinals were at the George Washington University in the Benjamin T. Rome Hall, 822 22nd Street, NW, Room B-120, on Sunday, March 17 from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. The finals took place in the Terrace Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, March 18 at 7:30 pm.

2013 Competition Winners

  • First Prize—Soloman Howard
  • Second Prize—Abigail Mitchell
  • Third Prize—Paloma Friedhoff Bello
  • Finalist Prizes—Natalie Conte, Eric Jurenas, Laura Strickling
  • Audience Prize—Soloman Howard

Prizes

  • First Prize—$10,000
  • Second Prize—$5,000
  • Third Prize—$3,000
  • Finalist Prize (3)—$1,000 each
  • Audience Prize—$1,000

Performance Awards

  • Solo recital, Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
  • Solo appearance with the FMMC Avanti Orchestra at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
  • Solo appearance with the New Dominion Chorale

Judges

Catherine Malfitano
Peter Russell
Patricia Wise

Pianists

George Peachey
Joy Schreier

Prescreening Judges

Kay Belich
Charles Kopfstein-Penk
Eve Kornhauser

Preliminary Judges

Eugene Galvin
Tom Reilly
Louise McClelland Urban
Elizabeth Vrenios
Arianna Zukerman

Application

Applications will be accepted from November 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. Application information and forms are available at http://www.artsapp.com/wicvoice/.

Preliminary MP3 Repertoire

All repertoire on MP3’s must come from the submitted list of required repertoire:

  • An aria from opera or oratorio by J.S. Bach, Handel, Haydn, or Mozart
  • A French art song
  • A German art song
  • A song by an American composer 1900-present
  • An operatic aria from the Romantic period-present

Required Repertoire

The total list of repertoire should represent 50–60 minutes of music. Specifics of the repertoire are:

  • An aria from opera or oratorio by J.S. Bach, Handel, Haydn, or Mozart
  • An aria from 19th, 20th, or 21st century opera
  • French art songs from the 19th through 21st centuries
  • German arts songs from the 19th through 21st centuries
  • Art songs in English, including two by contemporary American composers. Arrangements of earlier music do not meet this requirement.
  • Selections of applicant’s choice that best represent his or her vocal talents (may include art songs in other languages not specified above)
  • The Italian, German, French, and English languages must be represented in the repertoire.

Regulations and Instructions

  1. No changes in repertoire will be permitted once an application is submitted.
  2. The pre-screening and listening committees will review the MP3 submissions to select the semifinalists. Applicants selected for the semifinals will be notified by the end of January 2013.
  3. Semifinalists selected will be invited to compete in Washington, DC on March 17, 2013. Semifinalists will be offered housing while they are in Washington, DC. They must provide their own transportation.
  4. Semifinalists must be prepared to present all the repertoire listed on their repertoire list in the semifinals.
  5. Applicants must not be under professional management. They must be between 18 and 32 years of age at the time of the competition. Proof of age will be required. First prize winners from former years may not reapply.
  6. Singers of all nationalities are welcome to apply to the competition.