Vocal Competition and Musicale

Opera at Florham (OAF) welcomes the arrival of springtime by presenting its annual, renowned Vocal Competition and Musicale on Sunday, April 23rd, 2017. Opera at Florham’s 29th Annual Vocal Competition and Musicale continues to honor Violetta DuPont, its co-founder and original Competition benefactor, and features singers between the ages of 21 and 35 who are pursuing a career in opera. The competition will be held at the Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University on Sunday, April 23rd, 2017 at 2 p.m. in the Mansion’s Lenfell Hall (Hennessy Hall). The accompanist for the preliminary judging and for the final Vocal Competition will be Mary Pinto, who is also the Vice President at OAF. The judges for the preliminary auditions and the final competition on April 23rd will include Stephen DeMaio, Maestra Eve Quelar, Robert Lombardo, and Barbara Ann Testa. Prizes will be awarded to the three winners: first prize of $5,000 donated by Gerda Lissner Foundation; second prize of $3,000 donated by Betty McColgan, and third prize of $1,500 donated by Carl Michael and the DuPont Family. Encouragement awards will be will be given to the other finalists donated by members of the OAF Board of Trustees and additional donors. The Opera at Florham’s Vocal Competition was established in 1987 by its co-founder and benefactor Violetta Pollara DuPont who passed away in 2012 at the age of 100. OAF continues her legacy in honor of her vision and her tireless work on behalf of OAF. In sponsoring the Competition, OAF acts in concert with its mission: to provide young artists on the threshold of promising operatic careers with the opportunities to gain role and stage experiences and to advance those careers through a variety of programs. Previous winners have had their operatic careers launched onto the national and international stages. Last year’s winners were Andre Courville, bass-baritone; Marie Natale, soprano; and Chloe Moore, soprano. Many previous finalists and winners are now on the rosters of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and other major companies here and abroad. The tickets are $25 for the competition at 2 p.m., and $75 for the combo ticket which includes admission to the competition as well as lunch with the judges in Hartman Lounge (12:30pm). Fancy desserts will be served at intermission. Tickets can be ordered by calling 973-443-8620 or online. Checks can be mailed to Opera at Florham, P.O. Box 343, Convent Station, NJ 07961. The Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University is located at 285 Madison Ave., Madison, NJ 07940. For more information, visit www.operaatflorham.org.