[music]

Alexa Smith: Hello, I'm Alexa Smith. Tonight, performances by finalists in the inaugural Duncan Williams Voice Competition for Black and Latinx artists on this edition of The McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase.

[music]

Since 1978, The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation has generously supported the Young Artist Showcase, and I'm delighted to be making my hosting debut with a project that's near and dear to my heart. I've had the great joy of seeing the evolution of the Duncan Williams Voice Competition from a kernel of an idea to a jubilant finals event in February of 2023. I created this competition in partnership with Manhattan School of Music and New York City Opera with a goal of addressing equity and access needs in the Black and Latinx singer communities.

The competition received generous support from the Sphinx Venture Fund in 2021, and this year the competition finals were held at Manhattan School of Music, featuring the MSM Orchestra conducted by Constantine Orbelian. The competition hosts two categories of singers, Developing Artists, ages 18 to 25, and Emerging Artists from age 26. The 19 finalists for the Duncan Williams Voice Competition were chosen from over 300 applicants from the US and South America. Soprano Eva Martinez launched our evening with Ambroise Thomas: “Je Suis Titania” a tour de force for coloratura, followed by Handel's Piangero la Sorte Mia from soprano Jillian Tate.

[MUSIC - Ambroise Thomas: “Je Suis Titania” from Mignon - Eva Martinez, Soprano] [MUSIC - Handel: “Piangero la Sorte Mia” from Giulio Cesare in Egitto HWV 17 - Jillian Tate, Soprano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: Handel's Piangero la Sorte Mia sung by soprano Jillian Tate. And before that, Je Suis Titania performed by soprano Eva Martinez. Eva Martinez is a recent graduate of Manhattan School of Music and recently joined soprano Jillian Tate at the Yale School of Music, where they are both pursuing master's degrees in vocal performance.

Singing competitions hold an important place in the young artist's opera landscape, but they can be costly for singers who are expected to cover travel, lodging, food, and cost associated with making audition recordings to name a few. The Duncan Williams Voice competition aim to eliminate these financial barriers by covering costs for all finalists. Baritone Joseph Parrish offered a surprise selection for the finals with the Cavatina from Rachmaninoff's One Act Opera Aleko. He studies at The Juilliard School and is part of Denyce Graves Foundation's Shared Voices program, which aligns conservatories with voice programs at historically Black colleges and universities. Here's Joseph Parrish.

[MUSIC - Rachmaninoff: Aleko’s Cavatina - Joseph Parrish, Baritone]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: Finalist Joseph Parrish with Aleko’s Cavatina with the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra. You're listening to The McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase on WQXR. I'm Alexa Smith, and today we're featuring finalists from the Duncan Williams Voice Competition for Black and Latinx artists. The finals were held this past February at Manhattan School of Music with an orchestra of their students. Constantine Orbelian conducted the concert.

Next, we'll hear from two singers in the developing artist category, which is for singers aged 18 to 25. Elizabeth Hanje, an undergraduate student at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, sings Il est doux, il est bon from Massenet's Hérodiade and Tenor Daniel Espinal, a master student at the Yale School of Music, takes on a Puccini Classic with Che Gelida Manina from Puccini's La bohème.

[MUSIC - Massenet: Il est doux, il est bon from Hérodiade - Elizabeth Hanje, Soprano]

[MUSIC - Giacomo Puccini: Che Gelida Manina from La Bohème - Daniel Espinol, Tenor] [applause]

Alexa Smith: Two arias. First, soprano, Elizabeth Hanje, with Massenet's Il est doux, il est bon from his opera, Hérodiade, and tenor, Daniel Espinal with Che Gelida Manina from Puccini's La bohème. It's time for a quick break now, then we'll be back with more performances by the talented finalists of the Duncan Williams Voice Competition here on The McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase.

Welcome back. I'm Alexa Smith. Today, we celebrate the Duncan Williams Voice Competition, a new competition for Black and Latinx artists, first held in February 2023 at Manhattan School of Music. I had the honor of creating the competition, which was generously funded by the Sphinx Venture Fund. Sphinx has committed to investing $1.5 million to transform the future of cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts.

In 2021, the Duncan Williams Voice Competition received nearly $100,000 as foundational funding. The competition was named for baritone, Todd Duncan, and soprano, Camilla Williams, who were the first Black singers to perform at a major American opera company when they made their debuts at New York City Opera. Duncan is best known as originating the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess and made his city opera debut in 1945. Williams followed with a debut in 1946.

Let's hear from emerging artists' finalist, soprano, Kresley Figueroa. She'll perform Lucia's first aria, Regnava nel silenzio, from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

[MUSIC - Gaetano Donizetti: Regnava nel silenzio from Lucia di Lammermoor - Kresley Figueroa, Soprano] [applause]

Alexa Smith: Regnava nel silenzio, from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Sung by soprano Kresley Figueroa. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Rice University and recently joined the Cafritz Young Artists Program at Washington National Opera.

Ecuadorian tenor César Andrés Parreño was another prize winner in the Emerging Artist Division for his rousing performance of Rinuccio's aria, Avete Torto, from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.

[MUSIC - Giacomo Puccini: Avete Torto from Gianni Schicchi - César Andrés Parreño, Tenor]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: Avete Torto, from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Performed by César Andrés Parreño. César was a Gerdine Young Artist this past summer at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and is a Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School. Another Juilliard School alumni, Jazmine Saunders, sends us off with her prize-winning performance of Caro Nome from Verdi's Rigoletto.

[MUSIC - Giuseppe Verdi: Caro Nome from Rigoletto - Jazmine Saunders, Soprano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: An award-winning performance by prize winner, Jazmine Saunders. We heard Caro Nome from Verdi's Rigoletto. That rounds out this week's edition of The Young Artist Showcase, which is generously underwritten on WQXR by the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. Here's Terry McGraw with more.

Terry McGraw: Good evening, everyone. It's great to be with you, and it's always great being with the Young Artist Showcase and to hear these really wonderful and inspiring musicians as they continue to share their incredible gifts with us every week. I can't wait to hear the fabulous talent coming up on the showcase, and I am so pleased to be able to support the series all through its well over four decades on WQXR, and there's so much more to come.

Alexa Smith: Thank you, Terry. A big thanks to Manhattan School of Music, Dean of Recording Arts, Chris Shade, for the recordings for today's show. Also, thanks to the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra and New York City Opera. The Duncan Williams Voice Programs will continue highlighting Black and Latinx artists next year with a focus on Art Song in partnership with Manhattan School of Music and the Art Song Preservation Society. Many thanks to WQXR program producers, Laura Boyman and Max Fine. Our generous program underwriter is the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. I'm Alexa Smith. Goodnight.

[MUSIC - Saint-Saëns: “Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse!” from Samson et Dalila - Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano]

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