The Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition comes to the College of Music on Saturday, Dec. 10. Photo courtesy Schmidt Foundation.
The College of Music is opening Grusin Music Hall to the top high school vocalists in the region.
On Saturday, Dec. 10, the voice department hosts the , one of the nation鈥檚 largest singing contests for high school students.
Organized by the and named for longtime Indiana arts supporter Bill Schmidt, the competition is held in 15 different locales around the country and offers more than $200,000 in prize money to young singers every year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal to host it because it gives us a chance to meet these talented singers and showcase the strengths of our voice department,鈥� says tenor and Assistant Professor of Voice Matthew Chellis, who helped bring the event to 麻豆影院 this year.
In past years, the competition has been held at places like the New England Conservatory and Seattle Opera. The winning singer receives $2,500 in prize money. Ben Smolder, director of the Schmidt Foundation and the director of the opera program at Miami University of Ohio, says the decision to bring the event to Colorado for the first time had a lot to do with geography鈥攁nd the standing of the vocal program at CU.
鈥淚 knew about the great reputation of the school, and we also were interested in coming to an area that would capture some of the students we haven鈥檛 worked with before,鈥� Smolder explains. 鈥淭he goal of the competition is to encourage and nurture young people in the arts, and it was important to get into this region.鈥�
At a time when competitiveness with peer institutions is steep, Chellis says he and his colleagues are thrilled to be able to interact closely with the brightest talent in the West.
鈥淲e鈥檝e tried to let every high school in the area know we were hosting. The pool of people pursuing voice degrees keeps getting smaller and at this level, we鈥檙e competing for the same young freshmen.鈥�
One perk of hosting the day-long event is the brief presentation the voice department will give to contestants while the judges are tallying their votes.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be speaking about some of the unique opportunities our students have鈥�full opera productions, CU NOW and the close mentorship they get with faculty professionals who are known around the world,鈥� says Chellis. 鈥淲e鈥檒l also have some of our undergrads come on stage and present some of the scenes they鈥檙e working on.鈥�
Chellis will serve as adjudicator, along with William Florescu from the Florentine Opera Company. Dana Brown from Roosevelt University will play piano.
In addition to the competition, which is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, the Schmidt Foundation will host a master class with the judges and offer the winner a chance to participate in the organization鈥檚 summer music program.
鈥淭he foundation runs a for almost free tuition. It鈥檚 a wonderful pre-college experience that includes instruction from Juilliard professors, renowned composers and other professionals,鈥� Smolder explains.
And perhaps the biggest incentive for CU 麻豆影院 to play host: the Schmidt Foundation offers a $2,000 matching scholarship for one of the contestants to attend school whichever music program hosts the event.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we try to come to institutions that will benefit from the undergraduate recruiting opportunity,鈥� Smolder says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for us to bring prospective students to our facilities and show them what we offer that maybe they haven鈥檛 seen elsewhere, whether it鈥檚 performance opportunities or the collaborative teaching atmosphere,鈥� Chellis adds.
More than 5,000 young singers have participated in the competition over the past 30 years, including many who have gone on to do big things鈥攕uch as the . The Schmidt Foundation partners with the Kennedy Center, the National Opera Center, Cincinnati Opera and others.
Students interested in entering the competition must submit an application by Nov. 28. Only 35 singers will be accepted into the 麻豆影院 event; for more information on rules and to apply, visit the .
