Competition Chair: Suzanne Richardson, Suzanne.richardson0@gmail.com
Assistant Competition Chair: Katie Katinas, Katiekatinas@gmail.com
Foundation Director: Leslie Luxemburg, wicstrings@gmail.com

The 63rd annual Washington International Competition for Voice took place on Saturday, June 18, 2016 (semifinals) and Sunday June 19, 2016 (finals).

The semifinals were held at the George Washington University in the Benjamin T. Rome Hall, 822 22nd Street, NW, Room B-120, on Saturday, June 18 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 Sunday, June 19 at 2:00 pm.

Prizes

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

2016 Winners

The winners of the 2016 Washington International Competition for Voice were:

  • First Prize and Audience Prize: Maggie Finnegan
  • Second Prize: Jessica Lynn
  • Third Prize: Mathilda Edge
  • Finalist Award: Chonghwa Kim
  • Finalist Award: Christine Lyons
  • Finalist Award: Efrain Solis

Performance Awards

  • Solo appearance with the FMMC Avanti Orchestra at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
  • Solo appearance with the New Dominion Chorale
  • Solo appearance with City Choir of Washington

Judges

David Effron
Frederica von Stade
William Stone

Preliminary Judges

Kay Belich
Byron Jones
Tom Reilly
Louise McClelland Urban
Elizabeth Vrenios

Application

Further information is now available on https://getacceptd.com/wic.

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

  • An aria from opera or oratorio by J.S. Bach, Handel, Haydn, or Mozart
  • An aria from 19th, 20th, or 21st century opera
  • 3 French art songs from the 19th through 21st centuries
  • 3 German arts songs from the 19th through 21st centuries
  • 3 art songs in English, including two by contemporary American composers 1900-present. Arrangements of earlier music, folk songs and musical theater selections do not meet this requirement.
  • Additional aria of applicant’s choice (may be in another language not specified above) 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 preliminary judges will review the MP3 submissions to select the semifinalists. Applicants selected for the semifinals will be notified in April 2016.
  3. Semifinalists selected will be invited to compete in Washington, DC on June 18, 2016. 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.
  7. For repertoire questions, contact Leslie Luxemburg at wicstrings@gmail.com.