Winners Announced on Sunday March 20, 2022 3pm

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Virtual Streaming Event, available on www.operaithaca.org

Opera Ithaca announces the sixth annual Edward M. Murray International Competition of Voice to recognize outstanding emerging singers in the operatic field as well as pay homage to the lifetime achievement of the late Maestro Edward M. Murray who served twenty-five years as the director of the Cornell Symphony Orchestra and over twenty years as the music director of the former Ithaca Opera Association. The finals will be a post-produced streaming event that will be presented starting March 13, 2021. The winners will be announced on Sunday, March 20, 2021 at 3pm. The applicants and audience alike are encouraged to watch the competition so that they can participate in the audience favorite vote, to be determined in real time, prior to the announcement of the winners.

Prizes

• First Place: $500

• Second Place: $300

• Third Place: $200

• Audience Favorite: $250

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Opera Ithaca uses the application process and competition to consider artists for placement in upcoming productions and the Apprentice Artist Program. 

Eligibility

• Open to singers of all ages and nationalities, pending ability to get a work visa in the USA. Singers who have sung roles with Opera Ithaca previously or who have obtained contracts for future work with Opera Ithaca are still welcome to apply. All prize winners will be required to fill out a W9 form.

Application Instructions

• All rounds will take place online. The deadline for submission is January 28, 2022. Eight finalists will be notified on or before February 11, 2022. Those singers invited to participate in finals will select one video that will appear in the competition. The Opera Ithaca staff will select the other video. 

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• (1) Begin by filling out the application form below. Submit your contact information, voice part, links to three video samples that showcase your operatic singing, and a resume. (2) Pay the application fee of $25 through the button below the form. Applications will not be considered unless the non-refundable fee is paid. If your email address used for the payment is different than the email address on the application, please notify us at info@operaithaca.org so that we can match your payment to your application. Your resume is for internal reference only and will not factor into your eligibility for the competition. Please note videos must be from the last 12 months in order to be considered relevant. Videos may not be spliced or edited for continuity. 

• Please name your headshot and resume using the formats below. Link videos of three arias with piano that showcase your operatic singing by uploading the files to a video streaming service (YouTube or Vimeo, for example - make sure the links are accessible). Please note videos must be from the last 6 months in order to be considered relevant. Please use the following conventions for naming your uploaded files:

  • Headshot: LastnameFirstname-headshot (e.g. DoeJane-headshot)

  • Resume: LastnameFirstname-resume (e.g. DoeJohn-resume)

• Repertoire for the preliminary round: three video selections showcasing operatic arias with piano dating from the last 6 months. To keep the playing field level, the arias need to be accompanied ONLY by piano (no excerpts with orchestra or instruments will be accepted). Videos may not be spliced or edited for continuity. Musical theatre or compilation videos are ineligible and will not be considered. If you have any questions about the qualifications of your repertoire, please contact us at info@operaithaca.org. The Opera Ithaca staff will review the submissions and determine the finalists. As you are developing or choosing videos, please consider how the quality of sound a video production will be impact the judges and the audience in the streaming compilation finals concert.

• Repertoire requirements for Finals Concert: the eight finalists will be required to submit the original video files (not links) to Opera Ithaca. You are not allowed to replace video files between the preliminary and final rounds. By agreeing to participate in the finals concert, you must give Opera Ithaca permission to stream your videos for a public audience. You will choose a video that will be used for the concert and the Opera Ithaca staff will choose the second video. A panel of 3 independent judges will review the finalists' submissions and select the winners. 

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• Audience Favorite Award: the audience watching the streamed finals concert will be able to vote on the their favorite artist. The vote will be tallied in real time and revealed in the livestream announcement of the winners at the conclusion of the finals concert. 

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• The application fee of $25 must be paid online, via the "Pay Competition Fee" button. This fee is non-refundable.​

Application Deadline: January 28, 2022

Finalists Notified by: February 11, 2022

Finalists Submit Video Selections: February 14, 2022

Finals Concert Released: March 13, 2022

Announcement of the Winners: March 20, 2022

Judges

Ana de Archuleta
ADA Artists

Kelly Kuo
American Lyric Theater

Third judge to be announced