Advocating for the Gifted Singer

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In 2011, the Kentucky Bach Choir initiated a vocal competition to encourage the study and performance of the solo vocal repertoire of J. S. Bach. For the competition, singers must submit recordings of themselves performing two arias by Bach and, for the sake of contrast, their choice of an aria by Haydn or Mozart. Finalists chosen from the initial screening are invited to participate in a live competition in Lexington, Kentucky, singing before an audience and a panel of judges. The winner receives a $2,000 grand prize and an opportunity to perform as a featured paid soloist in a subsequent Kentucky Bach Choir season. In addition to the grand prize, up to two singers may be chosen by the judges to receive an encouragement award of $750 each. Eligible singers for the 2023 competition must be born on or after March 19, 1993, and who are not under professional management.

 

2023

 

The biennial Kentucky Bach Choir's Audrey Rooney Vocal Competition will be a live, in-person concert event in 2023. Singers will video record and submit two sacred arias from the Baroque or Classical periods, in the language in which the piece was composed: Either two (2) selections by J.S. Bach in original language (at least one in German) or one aria by Bach plus one (1) sacred aria (oratorio, mass, etc.) in the original language by Haydn or Mozart. Submissions will be screened, with up to ten singers advancing to a final round. The initial video will serve as the material for both the preliminary and final rounds. 

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TIMELINE

 

February 26, 2023, midnight - deadline for submissions
March 4, 2023, 2 p.m. - finalists announced
March 18, 2023 2 p.m. - winners announced

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APPLICATION

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