Last Call for Entries to the 2015 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition; Deadline 11/15

The November 15th deadline is rapidly approaching, as the Dallas Opera Guild prepares for the most exciting vocal competition in its history! For the very first time, the 27th Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition is accepting applicants from all fifty states and U.S. territories, aged 21 to 32. Applications must be submitted online at YAPTracker.com by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, 2014. The entry fee is $35.

Besides significant cash prizes and the extraordinary opportunity to perform before an influential world-class panel of judges, chaired by Dr. Brian Zeger, a major innovation at this year's Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition (April 18-19, 2015) is the introduction of an orchestral accompaniment for the Finals Round. Competing artists will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the Dallas Opera Orchestra led by internationally renowned Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, recently praised by The New York Times for his conducting of the prestigious 2014 Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala. Richard Sasanow of Broadway World observed: "the evening was filled with many pleasures, under the baton of Maestro Emmanuel Villaume." The maestro of choice for a host of renowned opera artists like Anna Netrebko, this is an aspiring opera singer's chance to work, one-on-one, with one of the most sought-after conductors of our time.

The judges for the upcoming 2015 competition reads like an American Opera "Who's Who."

Judges for the 2015 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition:

Brian Zeger, Chair

Artistic Director of Juilliard's Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and Executive Director for the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera

Keith Cerny

General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera

Ian Derrer

Artistic Administrator, The Dallas Opera

Gregory Henkel

Director of Artistic and Music Planning, San Francisco Opera

Andreas Melinat

Director of Artistic Administration, Lyric Opera of Chicago

Emmanuel Villaume

Music Director, The Dallas Opera

Joshua Winograde

Senior Director of Artistic Planning, Los Angeles Opera

Dallas Opera Guild President Susan Fleming explained that "The Guild has long been proud of the annual Vocal Competition, and our members who work countless hours behind the scenes to bring the competition to life. We are pleased to be working together with General Director & CEO Keith Cerny, Maestro Emmanuel Villaume, and Brian Zeger to build on our past success and to increase the national prominence of this competition."

Dallas Opera Guild 2015 Vocal Competition Chair Ketty Fitzgerald added, "Building on the foundation of all those who came before us, we have a unique opportunity to restructure this competition to enable it to do even more to advance the careers of the best young singers in opera. That is our ultimate goal, in taking this event to the next level."

Semifinalists will be notified on January 15, 2015. Additional details regarding the changes to the competition may be found at www.dallasopera.org/vocal.

Single tickets for the remaining mainstage productions of the Dallas Opera's "Heights of Passion" Season -- including the world premiere production of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer's EVEREST -- are on sale now, starting at just $19, through the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org. Student Rush best-available tickets can be purchased at the lobby box office for as little as $25 (one per valid Student I.D.) ninety minutes prior to each performance.

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