|
Tenor René Barbera, 23, a music student at the North Carolina
School of the Arts, was selected as a Grand Winner in the
Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) Auditions Grand
Finals Concert at the Metropolitan Opera on Sunday, Feb. 24. The
Grand Finals Concert was accompanied by the Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra.
Barbera will take home $15,000 and the knowledge that he is one
of the finest student opera singers in the country. A native of
Texas, Barbera is pursuing his Bachelor of Music in the School of
Music at NCSA, where he is a college senior. He is a student of
Dr. Marilyn Taylor.
Barbera was one of nine National Finalists selected from two
dozen singers competing in the National Semi-finals on Feb. 17 at the Met. The winners
continued to coach with the Met’s artistic staff in preparation for the Grand Finals Concert on
Feb. 24. The Grand Finals Concert was broadcast nationwide on the Metropolitan Opera Radio
Network.
Guitarist JOHN KOSSLER participated as a Finalist in the National Foundation for the
Advancement of the Arts' "Young Arts" festival, Jan 7-12 in Miami, Florida, which included solo
and chamber music performances. He was selected from over 6,000 applicants-finalists at this
all-expense-paid festival receive cash and scholarships awards. John is a high school student of
Joseph Pecoraro.
ORIN LAURSEN, a violin student of Joseph Genualdi, performed in two concerts over the
winter break with the New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall. Orin, a tenth-rade
student at the North Carolina School of the Arts, is one of 45 string players and 18 wind and
brass players accepted to the 39th annual New York String Orchestra Seminar, conducted by
artistic director Jaime Laredo. Participants are selected by competitive audition; the first round
by CD, followed by live auditions in several cities across the US. The majority of those selected
hail from the acclaimed conservatories of The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music,
Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman, New England Conservatory, Colburn Conservatory and
Indiana University.
KATHERINE MOUNT, student of Joseph Genualdi, performed the first movement of Concerto
No. 4, by Mozart, with the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony on December 8, at Brendle ecital
Hall of Wake Forest University, under the direction of conductor David Hagy.
Guitarist AUSTIN MURRY performed his own compositions and others as part of the North
Carolina Dance Festival. Performances around the state have included venues in Raleigh,
Charlotte, Greensboro, Boone, Wilmington, Asheville, and Winston-Salem. Austin is a graduate
student of Joseph Pecoraro.
Clarinetist LIAM SCOTT, a high school senior, was one of the winners of Greensboro Youth
Symphony Concerto Competition. As a part of his prize he will be featured as a soloist with the
orchestra in March. Liam is a student of Igor Begelman.
ADAM ULRICH, a tenor in the Fletcher Opera Institute, will be a member of Central City
Opera's Young Artist program this summer, performing in productions of Carlisle Floyd's
Susannah and Bernstein's West Side Story. Adam is a student of Marilyn Taylor.
The School of Music Complex, designed by Calloway, Johnson, Moore & West of Winston-Salem, features a 300-seat chamber music/recital hall, administrative offices, and rehearsal spaces.
Watson Chamber Music Hall was designed by renowned acoustician Rein Pirn, whose credits include Spivey Hall in Atlanta. The hall is complemented by a lobby, box office, green room and dressing rooms.
The academic wing houses administrative offices for the School of Music and includes teaching studios, a conference room, an orchestral rehearsal room, and an opera/choral rehearsal room.
Funding for the complex came from the $42.5 million higher education bonds, passed by N.C. voters in the fall of 2000.
|
