Pittsburgh Festival Opera Announces Winners of the Mildred Miller International Vocal Competition, Mezzo-Soprano Edition

Pittsburgh Festival Opera has announced the winners of the 10th Annual Mildred Miller International Vocal Competition, Mezzo-Soprano Edition.

The Mildred Miller International Voice Competition was founded in 2011 to identify and nurture talented young singers. The competition is named for Pittsburgh Festival Opera founder Mildred Miller Posvar, who sang for 26 illustrious seasons at the Metropolitan Opera and other world capitals. Miller's acclaimed recordings include Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with conductor Bruno Walter, Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro with Erich Leinsdorf, and the commemorative concert and album celebrating the Boston Pops Orchestra 100th anniversary with Arthur Fiedler.

Pittsburgh Festival Opera presented a Special Mezzo-Soprano Edition in a digital-only format in response to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings. This year, 155 Mezzo-Sopranos applied and 13 finalists sang for a panel of internationally-acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano judges led by Pittsburgh Festival Opera founder Mildred Miller Posvar, with Artistic Director Marianne Cornetti, Jane Bunnell, Nancy Maultsby and Susanne Mentzer. Robert Frankenberry, Director of the Hans and Leslie Fleischner Young Artists Program provided piano accompaniment to the finalists. Senior Executive Producer of WQED-FM 89.3 Jim Cunningham hosted the competition programs. The event producers were Lindsay Lehman and Iain Crammond.

This is the 10th year of the event that celebrated the importance of the Mezzo-Soprano voice-type in the history of Pittsburgh Festival Opera - from its founding to its new artistic leadership.

The 2020 finalists were:

Veena Akama-Makia Little Rock, AR

Lindsay Kate Brown, Waterloo, NY

Maire Therese Carmack, Seattle, WA

Alice Chung, Loma Linda, CA

Avanti Dey, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Taylor-Alexis Dupont, Orlando, FL

Khady Gueye, Bronx, NY

Emily Harmon, Barrington, NH

Kimberly E. Milton, Lakeland, FL

Talin Nalbandian, Los Angeles, CA

Hannah Shea, Harrisburg, PA

Hilary Grace Taylor, Dallas, TX

Kate Tombaugh, Streator, IL

The 2020 Winners are:

First Prize Winner: Kate Tombaugh

Second Prize Winner: Talin Nalbandian

Third Prize Winners: Alice Chung and Emily Harmon

The Dr and Mrs. Eugene and Barbara Myers Audience Favorite and Encouragement Award Winner: Kimberly E. Milton

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