2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize Winner Announced
Congratulations to soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais, winner of the 2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize!听
On Saturday, March 12, three fantastic singers performed songs and arias that left the audience spellbound during the stunning final round of the Wirth Vocal Prize held at Pollack Hall. Soprano Alexis Reed with pianist with Lucas Porter, soprano Kelsey Ronn with pianist Esther Gonthier,听and soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais with pianist Louise Pelletier lit up the stage with their talent and skill.
Working on her master of music degree, Elisabeth is a student of Aline Kutan.听Elisabeth鈥檚 award-winning programme included m茅lodies by Henri Duparc and lieder by Richard Strauss as well as Countess Almaviva鈥檚 aria, 鈥淒ove sono i bei momenti鈥� from Act III of Mozart鈥檚 opera, Le nozze di Figaro, and听Barbara Assiginaak鈥檚听鈥淣MAKAAN鈥橨IK, KIKZOOTAADWAK"听
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Elisabeth shared that, when selecting her repertoire, she chose music that that she simply loved. She discovered a few years ago that there were indigenous composers across Canada who compose opera, often based on indigenous stories or legends. As a First Nations herself, Elisabeth finds it wonderful that she's able to interpret the work of these composers in their nation鈥檚 languages which are different than her听own, the Innu-aimun.听
For the final, each singer performed a twenty-five-minute programme, which included at least one aria, and showcased a minimum of three languages, as outlined in the competition requirements. The Wirth Vocal Prize jury for the semifinal and final rounds听includes both Schulich Voice Area members and colleagues from outside of 海角社区.听The 2021-2022 jury is comprised of Artistic Director of the Regina Symphony, conductor听Gordon Gerrard;听Chantal Lambert, Artistic Administrator of l鈥橝telier听lyrique听de l鈥橭p茅ra听de Montr茅al;听Rosemarie Landry, Pedagogue and Voice Teacher at the Faculty of Music of l鈥橴niversit茅听de Montr茅al; and听Schulich Voice Area professors听Annamaria Popescu听and听Stefano Algieri. The jury was chaired by Prof. Andrea Creech,听Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at the Schulich School of Music who shares, "It was a great honour to serve as the President of the Jury for the 2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize. Both the semifinal and final showcased truly outstanding performances from each and every candidate. I extend my deepest thanks to our esteemed jury members for their thoughtful and careful deliberations, and offer huge congratulations to Elisabeth Saint-Gelais!"
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The winner of this year鈥檚 Wirth Vocal Prize received a generous scholarship, valued at $25,000, as well as a smaller likeness of the Wirth Vocal Prize logo 鈥� a small crown 鈥� in the form of a 14-karat gold lapel pin. In addition, the winner will perform in the upcoming Schulich concert season and receives 6 hours of career coaching sessions with Marie-Catherine Lapointe of Boulevart Artists鈥� Management in Montreal. Runners-up in the final were awarded a $1,000 cash prize.听
The Wirth Vocal Prize in vocal performance was established in 2015 through the extraordinary generosity of Elizabeth Wirth to the Schulich School of Music of 海角社区, along with new Student Excellence Awards, and an innovative Student Initiatives Fund. Awarded yearly since its inception, the Wirth Vocal Prize recognizes a voice student who demonstrates exceptional talent and significant promise for an international career.
