Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition 2021 – Finalists Chosen
Public Final: Sunday 28 November 2021 6pm, Holywell Music Room, Holywell Street, Oxford OX1 3SD
After an exciting first round of the fifth Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition 2021 in London on 30 & 31 October, six singers have been chosen for the Public Final in the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, on 28 November at 6pm.
The finalists will be:
Jessica Cale soprano
Frances Gregory mezzo-soprano
Sophie Sparrow soprano
Shafali Jalota soprano
Dan D’Souza baritone
Cassandra Wright soprano
The Public Final is always an entertaining and thrilling event, and a chance to hear some remarkable performances. Each singer will present a programme of around 20 minutes. Judges for the competition include the renowned tenor Bonaventura Bottone, Royal Academy of Music vocal teacher Jennifer Dakin, and the accompanist and conductor Phillip Thomas, who was a vocal coach and répétiteur at ENO, and the official accompanist to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World for many years.
First prize £2,000 – Second prize £1,000
There will also be a £600 Accompanists’ Prize.
The Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition was launched in 2013 to celebrate the company’s 20th birthday. It is now well established and identifies, rewards and nurtures some of the country’s most talented young professional singers aged 21-32 and their accompanists. The previous winners were mezzo-soprano Anna Starushkevych (2013), soprano Galina Averina (2015), mezzo-soprano Emma Stannard (2017), and soprano Lucy Anderson (2019). In 2017 an Accompanists’ Prize was introduced, when the first winner was Keval Shah followed by Dylan Perez in 2019. Bampton Classical Opera has a reputation for its commitment to young talent and a number of singers who have appeared on the Bampton stage have gone on to work with national companies such as The Royal Opera, English National Opera and Opera North.
Previous Winners and Runners-up:
2013
Winner: Anna Starushkevych (mezzo-soprano)
Second Prize: Rosalind Coad (soprano)
2015
Winner: Galina Averina (soprano)
Second Prize: Céline Forrest (soprano)
2017
Winner: Emma Stannard (mezzo-soprano)
Second Prize: Wagner Moreira (tenor)
Accompanists’ Prize: Keval Shah
2019
Winner: Lucy Anderson (soprano)
Joint Second Prize: Daniella Sicari (soprano) and Carolyn Holt (mezzo-soprano).
Accompanists’ Prize: Dylan Perez