MARIO LANZA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION awards - 04 june 2011

 

The Awards were held on 4 June at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Kate Flowers, from Co-Opera Company was the Adjudicator and once again Jonathan French was the accompanist on piano, he seems to get better each year!

Michael Barry opened the proceedings and said how much the Awards meant to the Conservatoire. He also quoted that although Mario's life had been cut short how much his influence is felt today 50 years on.

Once again, the Awards had been over subscribed and the Conservatoire had to have an elimination process. There were still 12 students taking part, making for a long afternoon. There were seven sopranos, three mezzo-sopranos, one bass-baritone and one baritone.

The Adjudicator commented on the high standard and gave a general feedback to the students, saying she would write to each one. The winner was Francesca Costigan (soprano) who sang 'Eccomi in lieta vesta. Oquante volte' from 'I Capuletti e i Montecci' by Bellini and 'Je veux vivre' from 'Romeo and Juliette' by Gounod. Second place was Olga Zhorova (soprano) who sang 'Du gai soleil' from 'Werther' by Massenet and 'Volkhova's aria' from 'Sadko' by Rimsky-Korsakov.

(Kate Flowers thanked the Foundation for a thoroughly enjoyable day and went on to say that in her capacity as Artistic director of Co-Opera and as a singer herself, she knew only too well how hard it is for young singers to find the large amounts of funding needed at the beginning of their careers. She went on to say that it is only with the held of organisations such at the Educational Foundation that some of these singers can find the funds so necessary to carry on their training after their college years)

Olga Zharova on the left and Francesca Costigan (winner)