Montclair State and Opera New Jersey Announce Fifth Annual Curtain Call Award Competition

For the fifth year, Montclair State University and Opera New Jersey will cohost the Curtain Call Award vocal competition and are seeking contestants. The contest is open to high school juniors and seniors who enjoy singing opera. The finals will take place in the Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall, in the John A. Cali School of Music at 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 23, 2014.

Prior to the finals, the finalists will receive private vocal coaching and a master class in operatic staging from Prof. Jeffrey Gall, a vocal professor at the Cali School of Music.

Students must submit an application form (link provided below). A letter of recommendation must also be included in the submission package with the application, and a CD or DVD video recording of one aria.  The package should be mailed to: Curtain Call Award, Montclair State University, Department of Communication Studies, Life Hall, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, N.J.  07043.  The deadline is Friday, January 17, 2014. Judges from Opera New Jersey and Montclair State University’s Music Department will select the top five finalists, which will be announced on or about January 24, 2014. Singers selected as finalists will perform two arias during the final competition on February 23.

Applications for the Curtain Call Awards are now being accepted until January 17, 2014, and are available here. For more information, e-mail Prof. Larry Weiner.  

The Curtain Call Award was created in 2010 by the Communication Studies’ Public Relations students at Montclair State to provide a showcase for talented high school students who enjoy singing opera.  For the first two years, the Curtain Call was cosponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild.  Opera New Jersey became the cosponsor in 2012.