PAST EVENTS
JUNE 13 & 14, 2020
SEVENTH ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
VALLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY
3500 MOUNTAIN BOULEVARD, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Photo credit: Shervin Lainez
DANIELA MACK: 2020 TIER I MASTER TEACHER
Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack leads the vanguard of a new generation of opera singers, infusing her artistry with a mix of intensity, adventurousness, and effortless charisma. Critics around the world have acclaimed her as “outstanding” (The New York Times), “a powerhouse mezzo” (Wall Street Journal) possessing “a virtuoso technique second to none” (The Guardian) and “a voice like polished onyx: strong, dark, deep and gleaming” (Opera News).
Mack’s 2019-20 season includes three house debuts, three role debuts, and a return to The Metropolitan Opera. The season opens with Mack bringing her Handelian expertise to her role debut as Juno in Semele with Opera Philadelphia. She then brings her “fresh, feisty, flawless” (Opera News) Rosina to house debuts at Minnesota Opera and Palm Beach Opera for productions of Il barbiere di Siviglia. Renowned for her bel canto interpretations, Mack adds another role to her repertoire as Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti ed i Montecchi with Opera Omaha, and then returns to The Metropolitan Opera for her highly-anticipated role debut as Varvara in Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová. On the concert stage, Mack makes her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis, and performs in Verdi’s Requiem with Opera Philadelphia. She closes out the season reprising her role as Rosmira in Partenope with San Francisco Opera, for which the San Francisco Chronicle hailed her “athletic, perfectly tuned coloratura.”
Daniela Mack is an alumna of the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera where she appeared as Idamante in Idomeneo, Siebel in Faust, and Lucienne in Die tote Stadt for her house debut. She performed the title role of La Cenerentola as a member of the Merola Opera Program and made her West Coast recital debut as part of San Francisco Opera’s Schwabacher Debut Recital Series. Ms. Mack was a finalist in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
ALEK SHRADER: 2020 TIER I MASTER TEACHER
The brilliant lyric tenor Alek Shrader continues to impress audiences with the “luxury of his phrasing, the clarity of his diction and the sensitivity and expressiveness of his characterizations”. Mr. Shrader makes several debuts in the 2016-2017 season, including at Wigmore Hall in a recital with pianist Roger Vignoles, with Opera de Oviedo in Spain performing Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and with the Minnesota Opera as Endimione in a production of Vicente Martín y Soler’s Diana’s Garden. He then returns to the Arizona Opera for performances of Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola and to the Santa Fe Opera to sing Oronte in Handel’s Alcina. Future projects include returns to the San Francisco Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Seattle Opera and Opera de Oviedo.
Highly acclaimed by the San Francisco press as a recitalist who is “natural and effortless, so different from just about everybody else”, Alek Shrader was featured in two ‘On Wings of Song’ recitals in the spring of the 2009/2010 season; at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and also at Santa Monica College for the Performing Arts (Broad Stage), both sponsored by The Marilyn Horne Foundation. Concert appearances this season included Messiah with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Mozart Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony and St. Louis Symphony.
Mr. Shrader, a former Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera, made a spectacular mainstage debut in the San Francisco 2008/2009 season, replacing an indisposed Ramon Vargas as Nemorino in two performances of L’Elisir d’Amore. Additional performances with the San Francisco Opera have included Korngold’s, Die Tote Stadt, the role of Arbace in Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Nemorino in student performances of L’Elisir d’Amore. Other opera highlights have included Almaviva in Opera Cleveland’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Il Re Pastore with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He was also a featured soloist in the 2009 Metropolitan Opera Concert in the Park series
Alek Shrader is the recipient of a Sarah Tucker grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation and a winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
ANN BALTZ: 2020 TIER II MASTER TEACHER
Ann Baltz is recognized as one of the leading opera educators in America today. As founder of OperaWorks™, her revolutionary holistic approach to singer training was the first of its kind to incorporate cross-disciplinary education for singers. Founded in 1987, OperaWorks™ boasts an impressive list of over 2,000 alumni worldwide, educational programs for teachers and coaches, and documented success of Ann’s teaching methods published in the International Journal of Music Education.
Committed to developing authentic performers, Ann conducts master classes and residencies for opera companies, universities and conservatories nationwide. Her innovative approach to performance has led to the creation of over 30 original Pastiche Operas at OperaWorks™ and through collaborations with music schools.
Ann is a passionate advocate of using musical improvisation to free musicians' innate musical and dramatic capabilities, and she collaborates with singers to perform live improvised concerts and operas throughout the country. In 2015 she created OperaWorks’™ Arts for Social Awareness Project (ASAP) to produce musically improvised opera/theater performances that bring a human face to current social issues.
She is a frequent speaker at conferences including the National Opera Association and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. As a steering committee member of OPERA America’s Singer Training Forum, she served as a panelist for their national seminars Building a Career: Strategies for Success.
Ann’s diverse professional background includes positions as assistant conductor, coach, and chorusmaster in over 40 productions with singers including Dame Joan Sutherland and James McCracken, and conductor Richard Bonynge. An accomplished collaborative pianist, she has toured with Columbia Artist Concerts, Minnesota Opera, and San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater. She was the recipient of the Otto Guth Award for outstanding coach in the San Francisco Opera Merola Program.
The NAACP Theatre Awards nominated Ann as Best Music Director for The Discord Altar, OperaWorks’ ASAP production addressing homelessness, and she is the recipient of a Red Carpet Award from “Women In Theatre” recognizing her outstanding achievements in theater in Los Angeles.
FEBRUARY 16, 2020, 5:00 - 9:00 P.M
WITH A SONG IN MY HEART!
C’ERA UNA VOLTA
1332 PARK STREET, ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA
Enjoy a delightful and intimate Valentine’s Day serenade at our beloved event, “With a Song in my Heart." Guests will enjoy dramatic arias and the best of musical theater while savoring a delectable four-course meal. Four exceptional singers—including Portland Opera mezzo-soprano Camille Sherman; 2019 Merola Opera Program tenor Michael Day; 2020 Adler Fellow Stefan Egerstrom; and soprano Lindsey Reynolds, 1st place winner at JTVA’s 2019 Tier II Vocal Competition—will perform at the charming Italian restaurant, C'era Una Volta, in Alameda.
A not-to-be-missed experience sure to fill all your senses—and leave you with a song in your heart!
JUNE 14 & 15, 2019
SIXTH ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
VALLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY
3500 MOUNTAIN BOULEVARD, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Friday, June 14, 2019
3:30 p.m. - Tier II Master Class with Kip Cranna
6:00 p.m. - Tier I Master Class with Jake Heggie
Saturday, June 15, 2019
3:30 p.m. - Tier II Vocal Competition Finals
7:00 p.m. - Tier I Vocal Competition Finals
JAKE HEGGIE: 2019 TIER I MASTER TEACHER
Jake Heggie is the composer of the operas Dead Man Walking, Moby-Dick, It’s A Wonderful Life, Great Scott, Three Decembers, Out of Darkness: Two Remain, and the choral opera, The Radio Hour, among others. He has also composed nearly 300 songs, as well as chamber, choral and orchestral works. The operas – most created with writers Terrence McNally or Gene Scheer – have been produced on five continents. Moby-Dick (Scheer) was telecast throughout the United States as part of Great Performances’ 40th Season and released on DVD (EuroArts). Dead Man Walking (McNally) has received 60 international productions and has been recorded twice. Three Decembers has received nearly two dozen international productions. The composer was recently awarded the Eddie Medora King prize from the UT Austin Butler School of Music, and the Champion Award from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. A Guggenheim Fellow, Heggie has served as a mentor for the Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative and is a frequent guest artist at universities, conservatories and festivals throughout the USA and Canada. He and Gene Scheer are currently at work on If I Were You, based on the Faustian story by Julian Green, for the Merola Opera Program’s 2019 season.
KIP CRANNA: 2019 TIER II MASTER TEACHER
Clifford (Kip) Cranna, Dramaturg at San Francisco Opera, has served on the staff since 1979 and was Director of Music Administration for over thirty years. In 2008 he was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal, the company’s highest honor, and in 2012 he received the Bernard Osher Cultural Award for distinguished efforts to bring excellence to a cultural institution. He has served as vocal adjudicator for numerous groups including the Metropolitan Opera National Council. In 2014 he received the Star of Excellence Award for outstanding service to the programs of the San Francisco Opera Guild. He holds a B.A. in music from the University of North Dakota and a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University. He lectures and writes frequently on music, teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory, the Fromm Institute at USF, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and moderates the SF Opera Guild “Insight” panel discussions. He was Dramaturg for the 2016 production of Wagner’s “Ring” at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Thomas West, Baritone
You don’t want to miss the wonderful singing of magnificent baritone Thomas West when he headlines our event “The Finalists Revealed” on April 28! Come hear him sing, mingle with guests, and enjoy wine and appetizers at this free event—plus, be first to learn who the 14 finalists are for the 6th JTVA Vocal Competition!
Baritone Thomas West’s 2018-2019 season includes covering Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera San Jose and his role debut as Morales in Carmen with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. Recent career highlights include Bill in Bernstein’s A Quiet Place at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Mississippi Symphony, and the world premiere of Wayne Oquin’s Meditation in Alice Tully Hall. Organizations performed with include the New York Festival of Song and the Chautauqua Institution. In 2014, President Obama named Thomas a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He holds a BM in Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School.
Paul Caccamo, Pianist
Joining him at the piano will be Paul Caccamo. Pianist Paul Caccamo is an uncommonly versatile performer, leading an active career in the Bay Area as accompanist, vocal coach, chamber musician, conductor, orchestral pianist and recording artist.
238 singers from 34 states and 26 foreign countries applied this year to compete this summer on June 15 for more than $100,000 and several performance opportunities. Judges from around the United States are reviewing the applicants’ video applications right now and we will announce the finalists on April 28 at 4:00 at the lovely show room of Piedmont Piano in downtown Oakland, California.
SUNDAY EVENING - FEBRUARY 17, 2019
5:00 - 9:00 PM
WITH A SONG IN MY HEART!
Enjoy a delightful and intimate Valentine’s Day serenade at our February event, “With a Song in my Heart." Four extraordinary singers—including SF Opera Adler Fellows Christian Pursell and Ashley Dixon; Washington National Opera performer Arnold Livingston Geis; and soprano Maria Natale, who appeared at Carnegie Hall last year—will perform after a four-course meal at the delectable Italian restaurant, C'era Una Volta, in Alameda. A not-to-be-missed experience sure to fill all your senses—and leave you with a song in your heart!
$125 per person upstairs, $150 per person downstairs seating, which includes a four-course meal, glass of wine, and a $70/$95 contribution to JTVA. Your donation goes to support JTVA which works to cultivate and support the talents of promising singers who aspire to a professional career in vocal performance.
OCTOBER 14, 2018
4:00 - 6:00 (OR LATER)
FIFTH WINE & CHOCOLATE MUSICALE ON GRAND AVENUE
Do you like chocolate? Wine? Singing? If you do, then come join the crowd this fall on Sunday afternoon, October 14th. We will be there from 4 until 6 o'clock or later, so come when you can and stay as long as you like! You can savor both sessions or just one.
We'll gather at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar at 4:00 for some wine and mingling and then at 4:30, we'll head over to the gallery space at Panorama Framing on Grand Avenue in Oakland to hear singers entertain the audience in two sets of song. During the breaks, go next door and enjoy the handmade chocolates at Michael Mischer Chocolates as well as all the fine wines at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar. Last year's event was such fun, we've decided to do it again.
Put October 14th on your calendar and plan to join the board of directors and friends of JTVA to hear the wonderful singers who will be singing their hearts out in support of JTVA!
JUNE 15 & 16, 2018
FIFTH ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
VALLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY
3500 MOUNTAIN BOULEVARD, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
TICKETS AT HTTPS://JTVA18.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM
Friday, June 15, 2018
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Master Class with Michael Hix
6:00 p.m.: Tier I Master Class with Jamie Barton
8:00 JTVA board of directors hosted reception
Saturday, June 16, 2018
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Vocal Competition Finals
At conclusion of prize announcements, meet and greet the singers in lobby!
Between the two competitions, there will be food and beverages available for sale in the lobby.
7:00 p.m.: Tier I Vocal Competition Finals
At conclusion of prize announcements, raffle drawing in lobby and meet and greet the singers!
JAMIE BARTON: 2018 TIER I MASTER TEACHER
JTVA is honored to have American mezzo Jamie Barton participate in the 2018 competition as the master class teacher for the Tier I finalists. Praised by Gramophone as having “the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire,” Ms. Barton has appeared in recital across the U.S. and U.K., and has been described by The Guardian as “a great artist, no question, with an imperturbable steadiness of tone, and a nobility of utterance that invites comparison not so much with her contemporaries as with mid-20th century greats such as Kirsten Flagstad.”
Barton’s numerous honors include the 2017 Beverly Sills Artist Award, the 2015 Richard Tucker Award, the 2014 International Opera Award in the Young Singer category, the 2014 Marian Anderson Award, the Main and Song Prizes at the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and grand prize winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording (Hasse: Marc' Antonio E Cleopatra) in 2010.
Ms. Barton’s recent operatic performances include Adalgisa (Norma) at the Met, Los Angeles Opera, and San Francisco Opera, Giovanna Seymour (Anna Bolena) at the Met and Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fricka (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre) at Houston Grand Opera, Waltraute/2nd Norn at Washington National Opera, Cornelia (Giulio Cesare) at Oper Frankfurt, and Fenena at Seattle Opera and Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Last season Ms. Barton also released her debut solo album, All Who Wander, featuring songs by Mahler, Dvorak, and Sibelius.
In the 2017/18 season, Ms. Barton appears in recital with Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax, debuts at the Teatro Real Madrid as Leonor in La favorite, and returns to many of America’s most-loved opera houses. She sings Adalgisa in Norma at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Houston Grand Opera, Eboli in Don Carlo at Washington National Opera, and Fricka, Waltraute, and 2nd Norn in her first complete Ring cycle at San Francisco Opera. Orchestral debuts include Handel’s Messiah with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra, and Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra in Finland. Following a Verdi Requiem with her hometown orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Jamie embarks on a recital tour with pianist Kathleen Kelly, including the world premiere of Iain Bell’s Of You, commissioned by Carnegie Hall. Future seasons include returns to San Francisco Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.
MICHAEL HIX: 2018 TIER II MASTER TEACHER
This year’s teacher for the Tier II master class will be baritone Michael Hix. Hix has been praised by critics for his "expressive voice" and "commanding stage presence.” He is a sought after performer of concert and orchestral works with over 50 oratorio, cantata, and concert roles in his repertoire, having been featured in concert performances at Tanglewood Music Center, Oregon Bach Festival, Arizona Bach Festival, International Haydn Festival, and the Boston Pops. Past concert and oratorio solo engagements have included Mendelssohn’s Elijah, J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, B Minor Mass, Magnificat, Weihnachts-Oratorium, Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem, Fauré's Requiem, Haydn's Creation, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, Hodie and Five Mystical Songs and Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and Des Knaben Wunderhorn.
Included among his over 20 stage roles are Falke in Die Fledermaus, Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Noye in Noye's Fludde, the Drunken Poet in The Fairy Queen, Grosvenor in Patience, Lord Mountararat in Iolanthe, Germont in La Traviata, Don Alfonso in Cosí fan tutte, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress, and Bertouf in the world premiere of A Friend of Napoleon by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Robert Ward. He has sung with at Amherst Early Music Festival, Opera Birmingham, Ohio Light Opera, Ashlawn-Highland Opera, and Greenville Light Opera Works among others.
Dr. Hix holds degrees in music theory, historical musicology, and voice performance. He is the Coordinator of Vocal Studies, and the Associate Chair of the Department of Music at the University of New Mexico. His students have enjoyed great success over the years appearing in opera, musical theatre, and concert performances across the United States and abroad.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 29, 2018 4:00 - 5:30 P.M.
2018 FINALISTS REVEALED
PIEDMONT PIANO SHOWROOM
1728 SAN PABLO AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
You don’t want to miss the wonderful singing of magnificent baritone Christian Pursell when he headlines our big event “The Finalists Revealed” on April 29! Christian is an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera and a past semi-finalist in the Met auditions. Come hear him sing and be the first to learn who the 14 finalists are for the 5th JTVA Vocal Competition! He will be joined by Paul Caccamo at the piano.
175 singers from 27 states and 7 foreign countries applied this year to compete this summer on June 16 for more than $24,000 and several performance opportunities. Judges from around the United States are reviewing the applicants’ video applications right now and we will announce the finalists on April 29 at 4:30 at the lovely show room of Piedmont Piano in downtown Oakland. Wine and refreshments will be hosted by JTVA Board of Directors at this free event!
BASS-BARITONE CHRISTIAN PURSELL
A 2016 National Semi-Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, bass-baritone Christian Pursell is swiftly gaining notice for his role in the critically acclaimed world premiere of Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers. Best recognized as Senator Potter’s Assistant and the priest who takes Tim’s confession, his debut season with Cincinnati Opera also included the Jailer in Tosca and a solo performance with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
This spring, Mr. Pursell made his Houston Grand Opera debut singing the role of Tom in the world premiere of Laura Kaminsky's Some Light Emerges. Other recent roles include Dandini in La Cenerentola (Merola Opera Program), Pandolfe in Massenet's Cendrillon (CCM), Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen (CCM), the Herald in Rigoletto (Opera San Jose), Marcello in La Bohème (SFCM), and Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore (SFCM) - a role Pursell also performed at the Kennedy Center.
No stranger to the concert stage, recent seasons have seen solo appearances in Britten’s War Requiem (San Jose Symphonic Choir), Haydn’s The Creation (Denison University), Faure’s Requiem (Athenaeum of Ohio), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (San Jose Symphonic Choir), Handel’s Messiah (San Jose Baroque Orchestra), the Fifth Jew in Strauss’ Salome (CCM), and Pilate in a staged production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (CCM).
A 2017 Jensen Foundation Second Award Winner and Sara Tucker Study Grant recipient, Mr. Pursell’s upcoming engagements include the Second Englishman in Prokofiev's Der Spieler (Vienna Staatsoper) and a reprise of his role in Fellow Travelers (Prototype Festival).
SUNDAY EVENING - FEBRUARY 18, 2018
5:00 - 9:00
WITH A SONG IN MY HEART!
Our February event, “With a Song in my Heart," will be more captivating than a card, more ravishing than a rose and more charming than a box of chocolates! Delight your Valentine’s heart with four singers serenading you with songs of love and romance! We'll return to the charming Italian restaurant, C'era Una Volta, in Alameda for a splendid evening of wine, song and dining! Pamper your palates with a delectable four course dinner with wine! Bring another couple and make it a double date! With what is sure to be an extraordinary evening of food, wine, and music, you and your special someone will be guaranteed to take home enduring memories and a song in your hearts!
Please note that in exchange for your contribution of $125 per person for the event, you will receive a dinner with food and beverage worth an estimated fair market value of $50. Therefore, for federal income tax purposes, your tax deduction will be limited to $75.
OCTOBER 15, 2017
3:30 - 6:00 (OR LATER)
FIFTH WINE & CHOCOLATE MUSICALE ON GRAND AVENUE
Do you like chocolate? Wine? Singing? If you do, then come join the crowd this fall on Sunday afternoon, October 15th. We will be there from 3:30 until 6 o'clock or later, so come when you can and stay as long as you like! You can savor both sessions or just one.
We'll gather at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar at 3:30 for some wine and mingling and then at 4, we'll head over to the gallery space at Panorama Framing on Grand Avenue in Oakland to hear singers entertain the audience in two sets of song. During the breaks, go next door and enjoy the handmade chocolates at Michael Mischer Chocolates as well as all the fine wines at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar. Last year's event was such fun, we've decided to do it again. It will be extremely rewarding for JTVA this year because the proprietor of Ordinaire, Mr. Bradford Taylor, has generously committed to donating 10% of all wine sales - glasses and bottles - to JTVA!
Put October 15th on your calendar and plan to join the board of directors and friends of JTVA to hear the wonderful singers who will be singing their hearts out in support of JTVA!
JUNE 23-24, 2017
FOURTH ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
VALLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY
3500 MOUNTAIN BOULEVARD, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Friday, June 23
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Master Class
6:00 p.m.: Tier I Master Class - Followed by JTVA board of directors hosted reception.
Saturday, June 24
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Vocal Competition Finals
Between the two competitions, there will be food and beverages available for sale in the lobby.
7:00 p.m.: Tier I Vocal Competition Finals
Photo credit - Leslie Crane
Photo credit - Heidi Gutman
CLARA OSOWSKI: 2017 TIER II MASTER TEACHER
This year’s teacher for the Tier II master class on June 23 will be mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski. We are excited to welcome Clara back after her wonderful performances at With a Song in My Heart, our February fundraising dinner concert at C’era Una Volta restaurant in Alameda. Based in Minneapolis, Clara is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. Last month, she became the first ever American prize winner when she placed second at Thomas Quasthoff’s International Das Lied Competition in Heidelberg, Germany. A passionate advocate of art song, Clara serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Source Song Festival, a week-long art song festival in Minneapolis. Now in its fourth season, this festival strives to create and perform new art songs, and cultivate an educational environment for students of song, including composers, vocalists, and collaborative pianists. For more information on this wonderful artist, please visit www.claraosowski.com. There you will also find links to performances, including the Das Lied finals with pianist Tyler Wottrich, who will accompany her master class and this year’s Tier II competition finals.
DEBORAH VOIGT: 2017 TIER I MASTER TEACHER
JTVA is honored to have Deborah Voigt participate in the 2017 competition as the master class teacher for the Tier I finalists. Deborah Voigt is one of the world’s most versatile singers and music’s most endearing personalities. Her HarperCollins memoir, Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva, recently came out in paperback, and 2016-17 sees her join the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a full-time member of the voice faculty; serve as the new Artistic Advisor to Florida’s Vero Beach Opera; sing Wagner with the Danish National Symphony in Copenhagen and California; and reprise her beloved one-woman show, Voigt Lessons.
Having made her name as a leading dramatic soprano, Voigt has given definitive performances of iconic German operatic roles from Salome to Isolde. Also a devotee of Broadway and American song, she has sung with Rufus Wainwright at London’s BBC Proms, Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall, and Barbara Cook and Dianne Reeves at the Hollywood Bowl. Her extensive discography includes two EMI solo albums – All My Heart, named one of the “Best of the Year” by Opera News, and the Billboard bestseller Obsession – as well as Deutsche Grammophon’s Grammy Award-winning Blu-ray set featuring her Brünnhilde in Robert Lepage’s visionary Metropolitan Opera “Ring” cycle. She appears regularly as both performer and host in the Met’s “Live in HD” series.
Voigt’s numerous honors include first prizes in Moscow’s International Tchaikovsky Competition and Philadelphia’s Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. A Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, she was Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year 2003, won a 2007 Opera News Award for distinguished achievement, and has received Honorary Doctorates from Smith College and the University of South Carolina. She was named one of the Los Angeles Times’ 25 cultural tweeters to follow.
Sunday afternoon, April 30, 2017 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
2017 Finalists Revealed
featuring 2016 Tier I Winner: Cody Quattlebaum
PIEDMONT PIANO SHOWROOM
1728 San pablo avenue, oakland, california
Mark your calendars now to join us in revealing the finalists for the 2017 Tier I & II JTVA Vocal Competition. Enjoy wine, refreshments and wonderful singing from last year's Tier I champion, Cody Quattlebaum and others! It is sure to be an exciting event as the videos of the applicants chosen for this year's competition are revealed publicly for the very first time!
February 19, 2017
5:00
with a song in my heart
Our February event, “With a Song in my Heart," is more captivating than a card, more ravishing than a rose and more charming than a box of chocolates! Delight your Valentine’s heart with four singers serenading you with songs of love and romance! Pamper your palates with a delectable four course dinner with wine! Bring another couple and make it a double date! With what is sure to be an extraordinary evening of food, wine, and music, you and your special someone will be guaranteed to take home enduring memories and a song in your hearts!
MEET THE PERFORMERS
CLARISSA LYONS
Native Californian, Clarissa Lyons is a member of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program where she sings Karolka in Janáček’s Jenůfa and Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto this season. As a Filene Young Artist at Wolf Trap Opera which awarded Ms. Lyons the Catherine Filene Shouse Career Development Grant, she portrayed the Stonatrilla in Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria. She earned her BA with Honors from UC Berkeley, and Masters of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Bard College Conservatory. She was the Third Prize and Audience Choice winner at the 2015 James Toland Vocal Arts Competition. She appears courtesey of The Metropolitan Opera.
ARNOLD LIVINGSTON GEIS
Arnold Livingston Geis, tenor, graduated in May 2014 with an MM in vocal arts from USC and immediately began working as a full-time professional singer making a career in film and television soundtracks, concert, and on the opera/theater stage. Recent debuts include numerous solo performances at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. Other performances include Candide and Fallujah with Long Beach Opera. He made his mainstage debut with LA Opera under the baton of Placido Domingo and closed their 2016-17 season singing Parpignol in La Boheme. Arnold recently won the LA district of the Met competition and shortly after, made his company debut at New York City Opera as Corpsman Harris in the East coast premier of Fallujah. Geis made his national television debut on America's Got Talent in 2015 and has since sung for TV and Film soundtracks including American Crime, Minions, Sing, and Star Wars: Rogue One. Upcoming summer performances include Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Apollo in L'Orfeo at Chautauqua Opera in New York.
CLARA OSOWSKI
Hailed for her artistry and “rich and radiant” voice (Urban Dial Milwaukee), Clara Osowski is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the world. Most active as a song recitalist, she recently completed workshops of Edvard Grieg and Francis Poulenc. In 2015, she was the only American to reach the finals of the Das Lied competition under the direction of Thomas Quasthoff in Berlin, Germany, and was the 2015 second place winner in the American Prize in Art Song. In addition to performing, Clara serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Source Song Festival. For more information, please visit www.claraosowski.com.
AUSTIN SIEBERT
Baritone-Austin Siebert just completed the Merola Opera Program and performed the roles of Mr. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium and Marco in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Siebert also covered Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Additional recent engagements include outreach with the Dallas Opera as Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Mustafá in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri with Seagle Music Colony, and the German General in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night with Fort Worth Opera Festival. Austin recently earned a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of North Texas, where he was seen as Dappertutto/Coppélius in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, Pritschitsch in Lehár’s Die lustige Witwe, and the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Mr. Siebert received his bachelors from Northwestern University and is a native of Shelbyville, IN.
OCTOBER 2, 2016
3:30 - 6:00
FOURTH WINE & CHOCOLATE MUSICALE ON GRAND AVENUE
A full house gathered at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar at 3:30 for some wine and mingling and then at 4, everyone moved over to the gallery space at Panorama Framing on Grand Avenue in Oakland to hear singers entertain the audience in two sets of song. During the breaks, attendees went next door to enjoy the handmade chocolates at Michael Mischer Chocolates as well as all the fine wines at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar.
We are planning to do it all again in early October, 2017, so stay tuned for the announcement and plan to join the board of directors and friends of JTVA to hear the wonderful singers who will be singing their hearts out in support of JTVA!
June 24-25, 2016
THIRD ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
Valley Center for the Performing Arts at Holy Names University
3500 Mountain Boulevard, Oakland, California
Friday, June 24
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Master Class with Robin Fisher
6:00 p.m.: Tier I Master Class with Timothy Shaindlin - Followed by JTVA board of directors hosted reception.
Saturday, June 25
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Vocal Competition Finals
7:00 p.m.: Tier I Vocal Competition Finals
JUNE 24, 2016
JTVA ANNOUNCES 2016 MASTER TEACHERS!
TIMOTHY SHAINDLIN
We were delighted to welcome Timothy Shaindlin as the Tier I master class teacher for the 3rd Annual JTVA Vocal Competition weekend. A native of New York City, Timothy Shaindlin joined the Yale School of Music faculty in 2008. After studies at The Juilliard School, Indiana University, the New School for Social Research, and the Aspen Music Festival, he served on the music staffs of the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, San Diego Opera, Florentine Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera. He has coached for Glimmerglass Opera (Italian language coach), Sarasota Opera (music director of the Studio Artists Program), Santa Fe Opera (Russian language coach), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the St. Louis Symphony. In Europe, he worked for Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu and played five summers of master classes for Tito Gobbi in Florence, Italy. He has played classes and coachings for such artists as Joan Sutherland, Birgit Nilsson, Beverly Sills, Marilyn Horne, Natalie Dessay, Ben Heppner, Luciano Pavarotti, Eleanor Steber, Samuel Ramey, Régine Crespin, Carlo Bergonzi, Sherrill Milnes, Renata Scotto, Thomas Hampson, Frederica von Stade, Regina Resnik, Rockwell Blake, Paul Plishka, Catherine Malfitano, and Ghena Dimitrova.
Mr. Shaindlin’s work on the podium includes conducting engagements with Hawaii Opera Theatre, where he led the first-ever operatic performances on Maui. At Pittsburgh Opera he conducted Madama Butterfly, which included a broadcast throughout Europe on NPR, and performances of Don Pasquale, La Traviata, Hänsel und Gretel, Die Fledermaus, and The Threepenny Opera. For Chicago Opera Theater, he conducted Hoiby’s Bon Appétit, and he led Chicago Light Opera Works in La Périchole, The Most Happy Fella, The Chocolate Soldier, New Moon, and A Waltz Dream. Mr. Shaindlin conducted Haydn’s Lo Speziale as the first opera ever staged in The Barns at Wolf Trap, as well as The Merry Widow at Eugene Opera.
In addition, Mr. Shaindlin chorus-mastered 40 operas at Pittsburgh Opera and was director of the Children’s Chorus at Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was co-founder of the Pittsburgh Opera Center training program, and has also taught at Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, and the State University of New York at Purchase.
Equally versed in music theater, Mr. Shaindlin has conducted summer stock performances of My Fair Lady, Paint Your Wagon, Brigadoon, Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, and Song of Norway, and has played keyboards for national company tours of The Will Rogers Follies, Guys and Dolls, State Fair, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Camelot, Grease, and many other shows.
Since his arrival at Yale, Mr. Shaindlin has been music director for several productions including Massenet’s La Navarraise, Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol, and Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. Audiences also saw him lead the Yale Baroque Ensemble in Yale Opera’s production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
ROBIN FISHER
What a terrific master class Robin Fisher gave this past summer for the Tier II finalists! The singers and audience were thrilled at her insightful and charming manner and we were delighted to welcome her return for a second year to reprise her spectacular work both as a master teacher and as master of ceremonies for the Saturday competitions.
Ms. Fisher has performed to critical acclaim in such cities as Paris, Vienna, Prague, Hamburg, Chicago and Dallas. Press reviews remark on her "amazingly precise coloratura, melting diminuendi, splendid high notes and delightful musicality" (Opernwelt) and her "mature timbre and total self-assurance... an extremely exciting singer-actress" (Westdeutsche Zeitung). As a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of a Rotary Foundation grant, she completed graduate studies in voice at the University of Vienna. She sang under contract with the Wuppertal Opera for several years and was heard as a guest artist throughout Europe. Most recently, Ms. Fisher was featured in the solo cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen at the Bravo Bach! festival at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Sacramento. She appeared as Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Sacramento Opera (February 2009), and as Pamina in The Magic Flute with Townsend Opera Players (January 2009). At the Mondavi Center in Davis, she was the soprano soloist in Elijah with the U.C. Davis Symphony and Chorus (March 2009), a featured soloist in an all Bach concert with the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra (March 2009), and collaborated in a late-Renaissance program with Sex Chordae Consort of Viols (March 2009). Ms. Fisher edited The Selected Writings of John Duke, published in 2007 by Scarecrow Press, and prepared a new edition of the 3-volume work, American Art Song & American Poetry in 2011, with a foreword by Thomas Hampson. She is currently Professor of Voice at Sacramento State University.
April 24 2016 4 - 5:30 p.m.
THE FINALISTS REVEALED!
Piedmont Piano Company
1728 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA
After many weeks of deliberation, the preliminary panel of six judges selected the 45 semifinalists for the 3rd JTVA Vocal Competition. Each judge watched and listened to three videos each from 155 singers who applied - a total of 465 videos! The videos were forwarded to the two semifinals panels who chose seven finalists in each of the two tiers. The names of the fourteen finalists were announced to the public at our annual spring celebration on Sunday afternoon, April 24th at Piedmont Piano Company in downtown Oakland.
We celebrated song…Imagined the possibilities, saw audition video excerpts and shared a marvelous time of anticipation as we prepared for our 2016 JTVA competition. We heard wonderful singing from Jennifer Lindsay, Greg Allen Friedman and Adam Chase. The singers voices shone with tone, harmony, rhythm, and tempo while expressing through song the ideas, memories and feelings that dwell in us all.
Photos by Omri Shir
October 4, 2015
3:30 - 6:00 (or later)
THIRD WINE & CHOCOLATE MUSICALE ON GRAND AVENUE
Do you like chocolate? Wine? Singing? If you do, then come join the crowd this fall on Sunday afternoon, October 4th. We will be there from 3:30 until 6 o'clock or later, so come when you can and stay as long as you like! You can savor both sessions or just one.
We'll gather at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar at 3:30 for some wine and mingling and then at 4, we'll head over to the gallery space at Panorama Framing on Grand Avenue in Oakland to hear singers entertain the audience in two sets of song. During the breaks, go next door and enjoy the handmade chocolates at Michael Mischer Chocolates as well as all the fine wines at Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar. Last year's event was such fun, we've decided to do it again. It will be extremely rewarding for JTVA this year because the proprietor of Ordinaire, Mr. Bradford Taylor, has generously committed to donating 10% of all wine sales - glasses and bottles - to JTVA!
Put October 4th on your calendar and plan to join the board of directors and friends of JTVA to hear the wonderful singers who will be singing their hearts out in support of JTVA!
JAMES TOLAND WITH TIER I FINALISTS
(L-R) BRENT TURNER, EMMA MCNAIRY, SARA LEMESH, ELIZABETH BALDWIN, JASON DUIKA, JENNIFER LINDSAY AND CLARISSA LYONS
June 26-27, 2015
SECOND ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
Valley Center for the Performing Arts at Holy Names University in Oakland
Friday, June 26
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Master Class with Robin Fisher
6:00 p.m.: Tier I Master Class with Bruce Ford - Followed by JTVA board of directors hosted reception.
Saturday, June 27
3:30 p.m.: Tier II Vocal Competition Finals
7:00 p.m.: Tier I Vocal Competition Finals
While we waited for Tier 1 singers to emerge from their conferences with the judges after the Tier I competition, there was a lively raffle held in the lobby. Prizes donated by businesses and individuals were won by happy raffle ticket holders.
STEFAN MILLER WINS TWO BOTTLES OF WINE IN THE JTVA RAFFLE!
JAMES TOLAND WITH (L-R) TIER II WINNERS: 3rd PLACE - CLAIRE WEBER, 1st PLACE & AUDIENCE FAVORITE - BRADLEY KING & 2nd PLACE - SAMUEL JAMES DEWESE
JTVA BOARD CHAIRMAN PAUL STARRS ANNOUNCES THE RAFFLE WINNERS!
Photos courtesy of Marshall Dinowitz
JUNE 26, 2015 6:00 p.m.
MASTER CLASS WITH BRUCE FORD
Bruce Ford is known as one of the finest bel canto tenors of his generation and is a luminary in the Rossini and Donizetti revival of the '90s onward, as well as in Mozart. He first studied voice at West State University in Canyon, TX, and later at Texas Tech University. He was admitted to the Houston Opera Studio (the training company of the Houston Grand Opera), where he studied under Elena Nikolaidi and John Gillas. He made his Houston Grand Opera stage debut as the abbot in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur (a comprimario role), as well as singing in the American premiere of Philip Glass' The Madrigal Opera in 1981 and the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark. He appeared in various small and medium-sized theaters in Europe and the United States during the early '80s, including the Minnesota Opera where he sang Peccadillo in the world premiere of P.D.Q. Bach's (Peter Schickele) The Abduction of Figaro. He made his Wexford debut in 1986 as Argirio in Rossini's Tancredi, which brought him to wider attention in the bel canto field. He began his long association with the Pesaro Festival in 1990 and in 1991, he made his Covent Garden debut as Count Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville. He sang Ernesto for his Chicago Lyric Opera debut in 1995. His Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1997 as Almaviva in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He has recorded widely, often in world-premiere recordings of forgotten bel canto operas.
JUNE 26, 2015 3:30 p.m
MASTER CLASS WITH ROBIN FISHER
Robin Fisher has performed to critical acclaim in such cities as Paris, Vienna, Prague, Hamburg, Chicago and Dallas. Press reviews remark on her "amazingly precise coloratura, melting diminuendi, splendid high notes and delightful musicality" (Opernwelt) and her "mature timbre and total self-assurance... an extremely exciting singer-actress" (Westdeutsche Zeitung). As a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of a Rotary Foundation grant, she completed graduate studies in voice at the University of Vienna. She sang under contract with the Wuppertal Opera for several years and was heard as a guest artist throughout Europe. Most recently, Ms. Fisher was featured in the solo cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen at the Bravo Bach! festival at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Sacramento. She appeared as Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Sacramento Opera (February 2009), and as Pamina in The Magic Flute with Townsend Opera Players (January 2009). At the Mondavi Center in Davis, she was the soprano soloist in Elijah with the U.C. Davis Symphony and Chorus (March 2009), a featured soloist in an all Bach concert with the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra (March 2009), and collaborated in a late-Renaissance program with Sex Chordae Consort of Viols (March 2009). Ms. Fisher edited The Selected Writings of John Duke, published in 2007 by Scarecrow Press, and prepared a new edition of the 3-volume work, American Art Song & American Poetry in 2011, with a foreword by Thomas Hampson. She is currently Professor of Voice at Sacramento State University.
April 26, 2015 4 - 5:30 p.m.
THIRD FOUNDERS CELEBRATION
Piedmont Piano
The board of directors, the founders and the many donors and friends met at the beautiful showroom of Piedmont Piano in downtown Oakland to learn who the Finalists will be at the 2nd JTVA Vocal Competition. The audience enjoyed the wonderful singing of Anne Hepburn-Smith and Ellen Presley. In addition to learning about the Finalists for this year's competition, the big news was the announcement of the Bell Investment Advisors Encouragement Awards. Jim and Bonnie Bell were greeted with great applause and both Jim and Bonnie discussed their support for the arts and their love for singing.
October 5, 2014
WINE & CHOCOLATE MUSICALE
Our 2nd Annual Wine & Chocolate Musicale on October 5 was a smashing success! Once again, we thank our gracious hosts Patrick Cheatham of Panorama Framing, Inc., Michael Mischer of Michael Mischer Chocolates, and Bradford Taylor of Ordinaire Wine Shop and Wine Bar. We had a great turnout, more than last year, and we raised over $1,800 during the afternoon. Thank you to everyone who made donations or bought raffle tickets, and special thanks to Ordinaire for donating 10% of the wine sales! Congratulations to our raffle prize winners Andy Bang, Rhonda Chase, Emari Dimagiba, Elizabeth Hunter-Ashley, Sharon Kallenberger, and James Woodman. And last, but certainly not least, our heartfelt thanks to all of the wonderful singers and our accompanist, Bruce Haines, who delighted the audience with such beautiful music!
June 20-21, 2014
FIRST ANNUAL JTVA VOCAL COMPETITION WEEKEND
Master class with Susanne Mentzer
Friday, June 20 at 6:00 p.m.
Reception immediately followingTier II Vocal Competition Finals
Saturday, June 21 at 3:30 p.m.Tier I Vocal Competition Finals
Saturday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Marty Umans
June 20, 2014
MASTER CLASS WITH SUSANNE MENTZER
Renowned mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer conducted a master class for our Tier One finalists on the day prior to the competition finals. The master class was held in the Studio Theater at the Valley Center for the Performing Arts on the Holy Names University campus in the Oakland hills. The class was open to the public and was a wonderful opportunity to see these fine singers continue to develop their talents under the mentorship of this great artist. To learn more about Susanne, you can go to her website: susannementzer.com.
June 21, 2014
FIRST ANNUAL VOCAL COMPETITION FINALS
The finals of the first annual JTVA Vocal Competition were held on June 21, 2014 in the beautiful Regents' Theater at the Valley Center for the Performing Arts on the Holy Names University campus in the Oakland hills. It fulfilled the promise of a full afternoon and evening of talented artists, beautiful music, and the excitement of live competition. The Tier Two finals were held in the late afternoon, with the Tier One finals following later that evening.
April 27, 2014
2nd ANNUAL FOUNDERS EVENT
Our 2nd Annual Founders Event was on Sunday afternoon, April 27, 2014 at 4 o'clock. We returned to the beautiful showroom of Piedmont Piano Company in downtown Oakland (1728 San Pablo Avenue at 18th Street).
At this year's special gathering in recognition of our founding donors and key supporters, we used the opportunity to give a first announcement of those singers who have been chosen as finalists for the first JTVA Vocal Competition scheduled for June 21, 2014. It was an exciting afternoon as we celebrated all of the talent, generosity, and hard work that is bringing our vision to life.
Visit our Facebook page to see more photos
October 13, 2013
WINE & CHOCOLATE MUSICALE
The Wine & Chocolate Musicale on Grand Avenue was standing room only! Ten wonderful singers entertained a standing room only crowd in the gallery space at Panorama Framing on Grand Avenue in Oakland. In the breaks between singing, patrons enjoyed the wonderful artisanal chocolates crafted at Michael Mischer Chocolates and the fine wines at Ordinaire Wine Shop and Wine Bar. Board members, singers and visitors mingled to learn about the latest JTVA news.
Almost $2,000 was raised to support the upcoming voice competition slated for June 21, 2014. We are enormously grateful to the singers who volunteered their time and talents and to the wonderful pianist, Bruce Haines, who accompanied them. A huge thank you also to our hosts, Patrick Cheatham at Panorama Framing, Michael Mischer at Michael Mischer Chocolates and Bradford Taylor at Ordinaire Wine Shop and Wine Bar.
Visit our Facebook page to see more photos
May 18, 2013
INAUGURAL FOUNDERS EVENT
The first founders event was a success! JTVA held the event in the beautiful showroom of the Piedmont Piano Company in uptown Oakland. This celebratory evening of wine, cheese, and music was held to recognize and express our appreciation to all of our founding donors who are making this all possible.
This event was well attended by an enthusiastic group and welcomed by JTVA Board Chairman Paul Starrs, who spoke about the history and mission of this new organization. He was followed by Michael Morgan, Music Director and Conductor of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, who shared his excitement for the competition and announced that the first place competition winner would be featured as a soloist in an OEBS concert. Founder, James Toland, shared his vision for the organization and provided details for the voice competition to be held June 21, 2014. This included the announcement that renowned American mezzo-soprano, Susanne Mentzer, will hold a master class with Tier I competition finalists the day prior to the competition.
The evening concluded with performances of arias and songs by Lauren Woody, Adam Chase, Genoa Starrs, and Nick Hengl, who were accompanied by pianist Ron Valentino. These fine singers represent the kind of developing talent that JTVA and its generous supporters hope to encourage. Kudos to Board Vice Chair Heather Peri and her wonderful group of volunteers for planning and producing this wonderful event.
Visit our Facebook page to see more photos