The Handel Aria Competition is an annual event dedicated to promoting the performance of Handel’s extensive vocal repertoire. This year’s event will be available everywhere via live-stream.
The 8th annual Handel Aria Competition
August 20, 2021 at 7:30pm
Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square, Madison, Wisconsin
The finalists for this year’s competition were chosen from a field of 150 applications from around the world. We look forward to welcoming them to Madison!
• Margaret Carpenter Haigh, soprano
• Hannah De Priest, soprano
• Paulina Francisco, soprano
• Maya Kherani, soprano
• Bradley King, tenor
• Sophie Michaux, mezzo-soprano
• Kyle Tingzon, countertenor
Final Round Judges
The judges for the final round of the 8th annual Handel Aria Competition will be countertenor John Holiday, opera director David Ronis, and Italian diction expert Alessandra Visconti.
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We invite you to watch our September 10, 2020 Virtual Gala, held on to support the singers who were finalists and winners during the first seven years of the Handel Aria Competition. Click here to watch!
The 7th annual Handel Aria Competition
June 7, 2019 • Mills Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, University of Wisconsin-Madison
First Prize: Morgan Balfour
Second Prize: Emily Yocum Black
Third Prize & Audience Favorite: Jonathan Woody
The 7 finalists for the 2019 competition, from left to right:
• Morgan Balfour, soprano
• Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone
• Emily Yocum Black, soprano
• Katherine Cecelia Peck, soprano
• Scott J. Brunscheen, tenor
• Ryne Cherry, baritone
• Sarah Moyer, soprano
For more information about the 2019 finalists and judges, please click here.
Exciting news: We are delighted to announce a cooperative initiative with the esteemed London Handel Festival! Morgan Balfour, our 2019 first prize winner, was invited to give a Tea Time Recital in Handel’s own parish church, St George’s in Hanover Square, on March 22, 2020. We provided a travel grant for Morgan, and the London Handel Festival arranged for her home stay in London as well as professional accompaniment. Unfortunately, the cancellation of the London Handel Festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented this from taking place as planned, however it will be rescheduled.
Top image credit: New English Harpsichord after Thomas Barton, made in Somerset, England by Peter Barnes with a beautiful soundboard painting in the style of Coston by Jennifer Douglas.
Contact us via email: handelariacompetition@gmail.com
Support Us with a donation which helps us support emerging singers throughout the competition process by underwriting travel grants and awards, as well as providing remuneration for competition judges and instrumental accompanists.
Please visit our YouTube channel
to see past performances by finalists and competition winners including the
2019 Handel Aria Competition Playlist
Morgan Balfour singing in the 2019 Handel Aria Competition.
Photo by Jeff Turk
