28th Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition April 24, 2016

After putting on a fabulous Musicale on March 20th titled “An Afternoon of Arias about Spring and Songs of Love”, Opera at Florham (OAF) prepares for its annual renowned Vocal Competition.

OAF presents its 28th Annual Vocal Competition established by Violetta DuPont to benefit singers, 21 to 35 years of age, who are pursuing a career in opera. The competition will be held at the Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University on Sunday April 24, 2016 at 3 p.m. in Lenfell Hall, Hennessy Hall.

The preliminary judging will be held on April 18, 19 and 20 in New York City at the Kosciuszko Foundation Concert Hall to choose 10 finalists for the April 24thevent. The Competition is organized and directed by OAF’s Board of Trustees member, Stephen DeMaio, President of Gerda Lissner. Prizes will be awarded to the three winners, and encouragement awards will be given to the other 7 finalists.

The accompanist for the preliminary judging and for the final Vocal Competition will be Mary Pinto, who is also the Vice President at OAF. A musical interlude will be provided by concert pianist, Ariana Krasniqi DuPont of a Chopin Sonata and an opera aria by 2015’s first prize winner, Alasdair Kent. The judges for the competition on April 24 will include Stephen DeMaio, Maestra Eva Quelar, Robert Lombardo, and Barbara Ann Testa, all well known in the opera world.

The Opera at Florham’s Vocal Competition was established in 1987 by its co-founder and benefactor Violetta Pollara DuPont who passed away in 2012 at the age of 100. OAF continues her legacy in honor of her vision and her tireless work on behalf of OAF. In sponsoring the Competition, OAF acts in concert with its mission: to provide young artists on the threshold of promising operatic careers with the opportunities to gain role and stage experiences and to advance those careers through a variety of programs. Previous winners have had their operatic careers launched onto the national and international stages.

The tickets are $25 for the competition at 3 p.m., and $75 for the combo ticket which includes admission to the competition as well as lunch in Hartman Lounge. Fancy desserts will be served at intermission. Tickets can be ordered by calling 973-443-8620 or online. Checks can be mailed to Opera at Florham, P.O. Box 343, Convent Station, NJ 07961.

The Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University is located at 285 Madison Ave., Madison, NJ. For more information, visit www.operaatflorham.org.