2020-2021 Wirth Vocal Prize Finalists Announced
We are pleased to announce that the three finalists chosen to compete for the 2020-2021 Wirth Vocal Prize (in performance order) are soprano Jacqueline Woodley, tenor Wesley Harrison, and soprano Emily Richter. These singers were selected from the stunning semi-final round held on Friday, May 14, 2021 at Pollack Hall.
For the final, each singer will present a twenty-five minute programme. As required, the pieces performed in a minimum of three languages and including at least one opera aria. The jury for the final round is comprised of celebrated Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, Music Director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Longueuil Marc David, and violinist and head music librarian at the Marvin Duchow Music Library, Houman Behzadi and is chaired by Prof. Douglas McNabney, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at the Schulich School of Music.
The winner of this year’s Wirth Vocal Prize will receive a generous scholarship, valued this year at $25,000, as well as a smaller likeness of the Wirth Vocal Prize logo in the form of a 14-karat gold lapel pin. Runners-up in the final will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize.
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 McGill University, 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.
