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Boston Lyric Opera Announces Second Annual Aria Contest for Teens

Finalists to perform for cash prizes at Open House at Shubert Theatre in November

BOSTON, MA: Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) is pleased to announce the return of its successful aria contest for Boston area high school musicians ages 13-17. Budding singers and instrumentalists are invited to submit a video by October 5, 2010 of their own interpretation of one of 14 preselected arias. Creative interpretations, including instrumental, jazz, rap, or other genres performed by a group or soloist are encouraged. Up to five finalists will be chosen to perform live for a chance to win a cash prize at BLO’s Open House at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre in Boston on Saturday, November 6, 2010. Joyce Kulhawik, acclaimed arts and entertainment critic, will return to emcee the event. The contest is designed to showcase the amazing talent of area teens and to reinforce how fun opera can be for any age.

BLO’s Aria Contest offers young music lovers a chance to gain valuable performance experience and compete for a cash prize that can help pay for future music studies. Milton , MA student Alexandra Selawsky-Group, who won First Prize at last year’s contest, stated, “It was great to be able to sing in that beautiful-sounding space. I was completely in shock at winning. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before.”

Julie House, BLO’s Education & Community Programs Manager, noted, “Last year we met many really talented singers and had a great time awarding them with well-deserved prizes to support their interest in opera. This year, we are encouraging creativity in addition to great musicianship, so we added an opportunity for teens to experiment with the popular opera repertoire in a format other than a traditional solo performance.”

All submissions are welcome, including instrumental and ensemble interpretations of the chosen aria. Students do not need to be opera singers to participate. Video examples of alternative approaches to the arias are available at blo.org/aria_contest. Up to five of the entries will be invited to perform live on stage at BLO’s Open House on November 6 for a large audience of Open House attendees as well as BLO’s panel of judges from the Boston community. The winning performance will be announced that day and will receive a $1,000 prize for first place (groups of three or more will share a $2,000 prize). Second prize is $500 ($1,000 for groups of three or more) and third prize is $250 ($500 for groups of three or more).

What to do: Young musicians and their music teachers should visit blo.org/aria_contest for the list of arias and guidelines. DVDs of the performances should be sent to Boston Lyric Opera, Attn: Aria Contest, 45 Franklin Street , Boston , MA , 02110 . Entries must include the name, age, town of residence, school and a daytime telephone number of all participants. Creativity and non-traditional interpretations are encouraged. DVDs cannot be returned.

Deadline to enter: 5:00pm Tuesday, October 5, 2010. No late submissions will be accepted. For full details, visit www.blo.org/aria_contest or email Ms. House at education@blo.org.