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See and Hear the Arias from 2018’s Quest for the Best!

July 3, 2018 by Frank Finkenberg

Congratulations to all the singers who helped make this year’s Quest for the Best an outstanding success. Thanks to the generosity of donors and attendees we awarded $10,600 in prizes, with all  singers receiving prize money. See who won the top awards, and view (or download) all the graduate and undergraduate arias.

Graduate Student Singers
2018 graduates

Left to right: Kristen Lucas, Brian McNiff, Jamey Wright, Mark Hockenberry, Chunghee Lee, Kaitlin Bertenshaw, Shainy Manuel, Octavio Moreno.

Undergraduate Singers
2018 undergraduates

Left to right: Emma Petersen, Annalisse Sauceda Garcia, Stephanie Swift, Powel Brumm, Sara Lashbrook, Frannie Barrows, Athena Beebe, Bridget Marlowe, Brianna Barnhart, Emily Garcia.

Filed Under: Listen, News, Quest for the Best, Watch

2018 Quest for the Best Graduate Student Arias

July 1, 2018 by Frank Finkenberg

The Fred Fox School of Music technical staff captured all the arias on video. The top graduate student prize winners are:

RankAmountDonorWinner
First$1500OGSA in honor of Stokes TolbertOctavio Moreno
Second (tie)$1200Richard & Suzanne ClarkKaitlin Bertenshaw
Second (tie)$1200The GroundskeeperMark Hockenberry

To download any aria in a choice of video resolutions,click on its title. This takes you to the Vimeo website; then simply click on the Download button. Depending on the resolution chosen, these files may be 50MB or larger. Audio files are also available upon request to the webmaster.)

Go to Undergraduate Arias

1. Kristen Lucas, soprano: Ah, non credea mirarti

2. Brian McNiff, tenor: Una furtiva lagrima

3. Jamey Wright, soprano: Quando m’en vo’

Second Place ribbon

4. Mark Hockenberry, baritone: Ja vas lyublyu

5. Chunghee Lee, soprano: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta

Second Place ribbon

6. Kaitlin Bertenshaw, mezzo-soprano: O don fatale

7. Shainy Manuel, soprano: Porgi, amor

First Place ribbon

8. Octavio Moreno, baritone: Largo al factotum

Go to Undergraduate Arias

Filed Under: Keep Off Homepage, Listen, Our Students, Quest for the Best, Watch

2018 Quest for the Best Undergraduate Student Arias

July 1, 2018 by Frank Finkenberg

The Fred Fox School of Music technical staff captured all the arias on video. The top undergraduate student prize winners are:
RankAmountDonorWinner
First$1000Tolbert Family, in honor of Stokes TolbertEmily Garcia
Second$750Susan & Frank Finkenberg and Patricia & Patrick SchifanoFrannie Barrows
Third$600Carolyn & Russell RussoEmma Petersen

To download any aria in a choice of video resolutions,click on its title. This takes you to the Vimeo website; then simply click on the Download button. Depending on the resolution chosen, these files may be 50MB or larger. Audio files are also available upon request to the webmaster.) Go to Graduate Arias

Third Place ribbon

1. Emma Petersen, soprano: Quel guardo il cavaliere

2. Annalisse Sauceda Garcia, soprano: Deh vieni, non tardar

3. Stephanie Swift, soprano: Mi chiamano Mimì

4. Powel Brumm, baritone: Modern Major General

5. Sara Lashbrook, soprano: Lascia ch’io pianga

Second Place ribbon

6. Frannie Barrows, soprano: Der Hölle Rache

7. Athena Beebe, mezzo-soprano: Smanie implacabili

8. Bridget Marlowe, soprano: Vedrai, carino

9. Brianna Barnhart, soprano: Glitter and Be Gay

First Place ribbon

10. Emily Garcia, soprano: Mi chiamano Mimì

Go to Graduate Arias

Filed Under: Keep Off Homepage, Listen, News, Quest for the Best, Watch

2017 Quest for the Best Undergraduate Arias

August 17, 2017 by Frank Finkenberg

2017 Quest for the Best Undergraduate Singers

L to R: Brianna Barnhart, Dan Marino, Clare Demer, Joseph Gouge, Emily Garcia, Kristen Fabry, Antonio Cruz, Taylor Trolia-Giron (photo by Leo Belardinelli)

Undergraduate HD Videos

Go to Undergraduate Audio Files

  1. Brianna Barnhart, soprano: Les oiseaux dans la charmille, from Les contes d’Hoffmann, by Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880)
    Olympia, a mechanical doll, sings an aria that enchants Hoffmann, despite her needing to be wound up along the way.
  2. Dan Marino, tenor: A tenor, all singers above, from Utopia, Limited, by Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900)
    Captain Fitzbattleaxe tells his love, Zara, that his passion is adversely affecting his singing voice.
  3. Third Place ribbon

    Clare Demer, soprano: O quante volte, from I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, by Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835)

    Juliet expresses her longing for Romeo.

  4. Joseph Gouge, tenor: Vainement ma bien-aimee, from Le roi d’Ys, by Edouard Lalo (1823–1892)
    Mylio, a young warrior, tries to convince his fiancée to join him in the wedding procession.
  5. Emily Garcia, soprano: Ach ich fühl’s, from Die Zauberflöte, by W. A. Mozart (1756–1791)
    Pamina fears that the absent Tamino does not love her.
  6. Kristen Fabry, mezzo-soprano: En vain pour éviter,from Carmen, by Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
    In the cards Carmen foresees death for both her and José.
  7. First Place ribbon

    (tie) Antonio Cruz, baritone: Come Paride vezzoso, from L’elisir d’amore, by Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848).

    Sgt. Belcore is confident of success as he woos Adina, since no girl can resist the sight of a military uniform.

  8. First Place ribbon

    (tie) Taylor Trolia-Giron, soprano: Mi chiamano Mimì, from La bohème, by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924).

    Mimì describes her life as an embroidress in her tiny room overlooking the rooftops of Paris.

2017 Undergraduate Audio Files

Filed Under: Listen, News, Quest for the Best, Watch

See All 2017 Quest Arias in HD Video

July 29, 2017 by Frank Finkenberg

If you missed our 14th annual Quest for the Best vocal competition, now for the first time you can see, hear, and download all the graduate and undergraduate arias. If you prefer, you can hear and download all the graduate and undergraduate arias in uncompressed WAV audio format. You can also see the list of winners and amounts of the awards.

Filed Under: News, Quest for the Best, Watch

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