CCM Opera countertenor John Holiday takes top prize at Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition
CCM Opera countertenor John Holiday, Jr. takes top prize of $8,000 at the 23rd Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition.
DALLAS, MAY 14, 2011 The Dallas Opera Guild’s 23rd Annual Vocal Competition for young opera singers concluded on a high-note this evening when ten outstanding finalists (with Texas connections) were awarded a total of $20,500 in prize monies. The historic evening marked the first time this much-anticipated spring musical event has graced the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dallas.
26-year-old countertenor John Holiday, Jr., a 2007 graduate of Southern Methodist University now working towards a master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2012), wowed judges and audience members alike with his extraordinary renditions of “Crude furie” from Händel’s Serse and “Che farò senza Euridice” from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, which showcased the exceptional beauty and timbre of his unusual vocal type.
For the thirteenth consecutive year, opera lovers attending the daylong program were encouraged to cast ballots for the “People’s Choice Award,” a $1,500 prize which went to 29-year-old baritone Norman Garrett, a Texas Tech University graduate who was awarded a Bachelor of Music Degree in 2005 and has since gone on to earn a Master’s at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (2009). He now studies with David Lofton at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Garrett possesses a commanding stage presence and a rich baritone with great vocal color. During this evening’s finals round he performed “È sogno? O realtá” from Verdi’s Falstaff and “Sois immobile” from Rossini’s Guillaume Tell (William Tell), accompanied by Julian Reed.
The “People’s Choice” honor (decided by the ballots of those participating audience members) was awarded to Mr. Garrett by the Presidents of the Dallas Opera Guild, Martha and Robert Allday.
Dallas Opera Competition boasts several CCM Opera students and alumni in the semi-finals
The 23rd Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition will be held on the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Saturday, May 14, 2011. The Competition provides a preview of future stars. At least 20 past Competition winners have performed with major opera companies in USA and Europe. Some of these winners are: Clifton Forbis, Weston Hurt, Latonia Moore, Jennifer Black, Erin Wall, Tekesha Meshè Kisart, to name a few.
CCM Opera participants at this year’s competition include:
- Noel Bouley (AD)
Ian Ramirez (MM)
John Holiday (MM) - Norman Garrett (MM, alumnus)
Brent Turner (MM, alumnus)
