Northern Ireland Opera launches new vocal competition
31 August 2011, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Festival Crator, Mark Chambers, with pupils from Glenarm's Seaview primary school(Photo: NI Opera)
Northern Ireland Opera has announced the launch of a new competition for young singers, to be held at Glenarm, County Antrim, from 9 to 11 September. The winner will perform in Ulster with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa during this year’s Belfast Festival at Queen’s.
Five finalists from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been shortlisted: mezzo-sopranos Rachel Kelly, Sarah Richmond and Lynda-Jane Workman, tenor John Porter, and baritone Ben McAteer. They will spend the weekend in workshops with experienced, professional singers, leading up to the grand final on 11th September.
Adjudicators include Kathryn Harries, Head of the UK’s National Opera Studio, and accompanist, Iain Burnside.
The competition is part of NI Opera's inaugural Festival of Voice, which will also feature recitals by Harries and the Irish-born soprano, Ailish Tynan, plus a series of schools workshops in Belfast and Derry.
“Our aim,” says Mark Chambers, Curator of the Festival, “is to identify talent early and provide active opportunities and public exposure to young singers to advance their careers.”
