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Opera Birmingham
2011 Winner and finalists:
Winner Spotlight: Melissa Shippen Burrows
First Prize Winner in the Viotti International Vocal Competition in Munich, Melissa Shippen Burrows made her debut on the 2008 RCA recording Belle Nuit with Vesselina Kasarova. The soprano was named a 2009 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions District Winner and Regional Finalist, and was awarded a grant from the prestigious Giulio Gari Foundation in 2007. She made her Asian debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic in 2008 singing Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 Sorrowful Songs.
She made her professional operatic debut with the Palm Beach Opera Company as Antonia in Les Contes d’ Hoffmann in 2003, and returned in 2004 as Blanche in Les Dialogues des Carmelites. At the Aspen Opera Theater, she performed the role of Mimi in La Bohème, conducted by Julius Rudel. She presented the same role with the National Symphony Orchestra under maestro Stephen Lord with Wolf-Trap the next year. Melissa was awarded the Shouse Award at Wolf-Trap following her apprenticeship with the company.
She holds both Master and Bachelor of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School. She continued her post-Masters studies with Soprano Professor Edith Wiens in Augsburg, Germany. She is managed by John Miller with Pinnacle Arts in New York City and now resides in the United States.
Second Place: Ray Chenez, Countertenor
Third Place: Nicholas Pallesen, baritone*
Fourth Place: Katherine Lerner, mezzo
Fifth Place: Adam Cannedy, baritone
(*Audience favorite award)
The 2011 Semifinalists, in competition order:
Lesley Friend, soprano
Marcus King, baritone
David Walton, tenor
Melissa Shippen Burrows, soprano
Wesley Brax, baritone
Katherine Lerner, mezzo-soprano*
Joann Martinson, soprano
Sergio Cepeda, tenor
Julia Mintzer, mezzo-soprano
Jennifer Glidden, soprano
Brent Reilly Turner, baritone*
Raymond Chenez, countertenor*
Ryne Cherry, baritone
Marci Wagnon, soprano
Sarah Nordin, mezzo-soprano*
Adam Cannedy, baritone*
Bray Wilkins, tenor*
Noah Baetge, tenor
Nathan Milholin, baritone
Nicholas Pallesen, baritone
*denotes competitor in previous years
Email the Competition Coordinator with any questions.
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Opera in Education
Thousands of Birmingham-area children have experienced opera in an exciting way with the help of Opera Birmingham's Educational Touring programs. By partnering with Birmingham-based Better Basics, Opera Birmingham has visited over 30 schools in Birmingham's underserved areas, bringing one-act productions to children that may not get a first-hand experience with opera. Opera Birmingham rotates three productions:
- Little Red Riding Hood, by Seymour Barab
- Hansel and Gretel, by Engelbert Humperdinck
- The Three Little Pigs, by John Davies (on music by W.A. Mozart)
For more information, or if you are interested in working with the Opera in these productions, please email Daniel Seigel or call the office at 205-322-6737.
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