.JPG)
The Northern Aldborough Festival has announced the launch of a major new nationwide competition for singers, The New Voices Singing Competition.
The hunt for the best classical vocal talent of 2023 in the UK offers a prize fund of £7,000. Finalists will also have performance opportunities at leading UK music festivals.
The competition boasts a distinguished judging panel, featuring one of Britain’s best-loved sopranos, Dame Felicity Lott.
The winner will receive The Seastock Trust Prize of £5,000, with a second prize of £1,500 from The Yorkshire Music Future Fund, and a third, Audience Prize of £500.
Winners may be offered performance slots at associated festivals to the competition, among them Leeds Lieder, Newbury Spring Festival, Ryedale Festival and Music@Malling, as well as the Northern Aldborough Festival itself.
Robert Ogden, artistic director at the Northern Aldborough Festival, said: “Hundreds of young singers graduate every year with dreams and aspirations to become professionals, but the majority have to seek temporary work while they build their careers. A competition success can be a turning point for a young artist. Our festival has, from its inception, strived to support and nurture young talent.”
The competition is open to solo singers and ensembles of up to eight performers, and celebrates classical vocalism in all its forms. It is open to vocalists aged 21-32 years-old. Deadline for entries is Friday 14 April, 2023.
Robert added: “At a time when the arts sector -particularly opera - has faced funding cuts, we feel a competition to help launch singing careers is of its time. What’s more, there are very few significant open vocal competitions north of London.”
Also on the judging panel is the artistic director of The Early Opera Company, Christian Curnyn, director of Leeds Lieder, Joseph Middleton, and artistic director of the Northern Aldborough Festival, Robert Ogden. The panel is chaired by Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred, chairman of the Northern Aldborough Festival.
The semi-final and grand-final will be performed live to audiences at the end of this year’s Northern Aldborough Festival, which is hosted in the North Yorkshire village from Thursday 15 to Saturday 24 June 2023.
Now in its 29th year, the Northern Aldborough Festival has become a leading fixture on the classical music calendar. A charity, its founding mission is to bring world-class talent to rural locations; Aldborough is conveniently located just half an hour from the city of York.
To find out more and to apply visit: New Voices Singing Competition 2023 | The Northern Aldborough Festival