operamom

Round 1 for this competition is held at universities across the country. Does anyone know if a student has to apply for admission to the university where she wants to compete at the Round 1 level? There is a Round 1 competition at a university in our city--but DD would not want to attend this school. There is no information about this on the website. This competition puzzles me because the scholarship money is awarded late in May after graduating seniors have to commit to a school. Has anyone participated in this event?

violadad

http://www.classicalsinger.com/colle...ompetition.php Could this be it?

http://events.tc.umn.edu/event.xml?occurrence=404521
http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/conserv...ocalevents.htm (Dec. 1 date)

These are all from a Google search... the first one looks like last year's final round. The last two are the first two college listings that came up in the search.

I found nothing about this year's competition. Perhaps you can call music departments of either of the two schools linked and find out specific info and an answer to your question.

Good luck.

operamom

Thanks, violadad. I have information for the May 2008 competition (semifinals and finals) in New York. http://www.classicalsinger.com/conve...expo/rules.php
There are instructions for the singer, but nothing about whether s/he has to be a vocal performance applicant or conservatory student. I will call Classical Singer on Monday.

Singersmom07

Last year you did not have to be an applicant or or conservatory student to compete. You do not have to be a HS senior to compete. HS Juniors did, too, which makes sense considering the timing of the awards. Not sure about the credentials of those who actually won.

ABlestMom

There are many offered scholarships and where you audition has nothing to do with the scholarship you would be offered. The finals are in New York and everyone starts fresh again in the competition. The scholarship you are awarded ultimately comes from that specific college and could only be used there as far as I know.

workingforblue

DD received letter stating she was recommended to register by university she visited earlier this year but have no experience with competition. That university offers scholarships to national winner. It appears several others do as well according to webpage.
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don9992

The universities where Round 1 is held are simply venues for the competition and have nothing to do with the actual contest.

The judges are admission personnel from schools of music and you are given their critiques afterward. We felt that those alone were worth the $60 entry fee since my daughter will be auditioning for music schools next year and the feedback will be very useful, so signing up was pretty much a no-brainer for her.

Singersmom07

You can request the competition to double as your admission audtion, if you are a HS senior. The same staff is generally evaluating both. DD did that at the venue she chose last year. It was not her top choice so it was a good way to reduce numbers of auditions.

mcbavaro

I am in California and my daughter will be auditioning in March. There are no requirements for applying to the particular university that you audition for the competition at. I do know though that at the site my daughter is auditioning at, they can and may give awards/scholarship monies of some sort to the site winner. My daughter is a Jr. and is looking forward the experience. Because of performance conflicts, she could not attend the closest Fine Arts Fair in SF in October, so this would give her the opportunity to meet and mingle with the different admissions. It sounds like a great opportunity.

vicariousparent

Thanks for posting the information. Is this primarily a competition for Juniors and Seniors? How advanced are most of the singers? Those who participated in previous years, could you please give an idea how advanced most of the students are?

D/D is a sophomore age 15, so technically old enough to compete. She is working on the usual soprano repertoire for her age (eg Susanna's aria from Figaro, some Handel, Bellini etc). Obviously she will not be at the level of the conservatory-bound seniors so if that is what most of the contestants are going to be it might be better to wait a year? OTOH, the experience might be invaluable, and we are but a stone's throw from New York...

ABlestMom

It is hard to say because you don't hear the other singers. I think if you are nearby, the audition and the feedback are well worth participating. Plus you will have the added benefit of knowing the competition better when she is older. I do think it is predominantly juniors and seniors who attend since it is coupled with a college fair.

Singersmom07

When DD participated last year, you could sit in on any of the competitors you wanted. She did it at Temple. I listened to several around her time and to the her friend from school. There is no limit to the number of times you can try. Her friend was a year younger and is going again this year.

The web site states:
Students from the United States must be a High School student between 14 and 18 years of age on May 31, 2008

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vicariousparent

Thx. I called the number and got more info. Sophomores and Juniors are the largest group, and it is apparently an open audition so contestants/parents can sit in the audience. Looks like it will be a good experience.

ABlestMom

Apparently each college site is different - make sure that the college that she will be auditioning allows the parents to sit in if that is important to you. Good luck - I think she should do it!

don9992

My D and another girl we know made the second round in Brooklyn over Memorial Day weekend. Anybody else here have someone going?