Convention attendees couldn’t help but hold their collective breath during the opening session of the Classical Singer 2007 Convention on the evening of Thursday, May 24. Dana Beth Miller, last year’s Professional Division first-place winner, stunned the audience to silence with her performance of “To This We’ve Come” from Menotti’s The Consul. Her divine presentation brought out the drama of the aria—the same aria that won her the first prize at the Professional Division Finals Concert in Philadelphia last year. A year later, it is clear: Dana Beth Miller is a force to be reckoned with on the operatic scene. Classical Singer will be cheering her on in her upcoming performance of Otello with Sacramento Opera this November, the role she selected when she won $5,000 and the contract prize sponsored by Sacramento Opera.
What an opening for this year’s Classical Singer Convention and AudComps.
The AudComps, held May 24-26 at the 2007 Classical Singer Convention in San Francisco, feature a competition in an audition format. The goal is to offer opportunities and cash prizes to singers, and to provide a format that gives singers feedback on how they come across to an audition committee in a live audition. As an additional perk, CS invites opera companies, managers, and festival directors to hear the finals of the three divisions and gives them copies of every singer’s materials. Some first-place winners receive a contract prize from a sponsoring company or organization, guaranteeing that a win in the AudComps means not only a nice, fat check, but also a new entry for the résumé in an upcoming season. Sacramento Opera sponsors the first prize of the Professional Division and AIMS sponsors the first prize of the Young Artist/University Division. Next year, Opera Fort Collins will be sponsoring the first prize of the Emerging Professional Division.
The 2007 AudComps received more than 200 applications and advanced 43 singers to the semifinals, which took place on May 24. The semifinals were closed to the public, but the singers who advanced to the finals sang on Friday, May 25 in an open concert setting. Each division has its own finals concert. The afternoon finals concerts featured an intimate recital format—the finalists’ friends, and families sat with other convention attendees behind the attending festival and company directors. In an atmosphere electric with excitement—and some nerves—the audience had the opportunity to see some of the finest new talent the singing business has to offer.
A few hours later, the evening brought a Convention highlight: the Professional Division Final Round Concert. The nine Professional Division finalists—radiant in full-sequined gowns and tuxedos galore—took the stage, accompanied at the piano by Eric Trudel’s brilliant and sensitive fingers. They provided an evening of sheer musicality and enjoyment for the hundreds of delighted audience members.
It would be hard to find a more intimidating audience—nearly everyone in the room is a singer, is married or related to a singer, wants to be a singer, hires singers, or sings in the shower, and analyzes every tiny movement! CS could not let such an opportunity go to waste and continued the tradition of featuring an Audience Choice award. At the end of the concert, we urged all attendees to turn in their programs after circling the name of their favorite finalist.
CS announced the results at the Closing Session of the Convention, May 27. (Yes, the singers had to wait a whole day!) The first-place winner from each division sang an aria in parting, providing a wonderful, musical close to the AudComps and to the Convention itself.
Watch for the monthly features on Classical Singer’s 2008 Certified Singers in future issues, and see the CS website for more on these excellent singers. We are thrilled to have met so many wonderful singers and heard such fabulous performances at the AudComps and we look forward to AudComps 2008 in New York City. See you there!
