Winner of 2011 Curtain Call Awards Is Announced

Montclair State University and the Metropolitan Opera Guild joined forces again to offer the second annual Curtain Call Awards. The event was held on Saturday, June 4, at the John A. Cali School of Music.  Competing against three other finalists, junior Katherine Crabill of Montgomery High School was selected the 2011 winner.  The other finalists, who were all juniors, included Antonia Kitsopoulos of Chatham High School, Sara Munson of Morris Knolls High School, and Sarah Finnan from Cinnaminson High School.  Montclair State University Communication Studies’ graduates Jenna Rocca and Lauren Hanson were again the event hosts.

Each of the finalists sang two arias and was rated in a number of various vocal and presentation categories by three judges: Dr. Peter Gillis, adjunct vocal instructor at Montclair State; Francesca Kubian, the NJMEA All State Opera Festival Coordinator; and Ronni Reich, the classical music critic from the Star Ledger.

Established just last year, the Curtain Call Awards was designed to highlight New Jersey high school juniors and seniors who demonstrate their musical talents through opera.  The participants are required to mail an application along with an audition DVD of them performing an aria to Montclair State University.  It was then sent to the Metropolitan Opera Guild for review and judging.  From this year’s applicants, the four finalists were selected.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild actively pursues its mission to foster an active an engaged audience for opera. The Guild’s Education Department provides an innovative network of music- and arts-education programs to a broad community of learners that include students, teachers, and adults. These programs include rehearsals, as well as performances at the Metropolitan Opera, family-education programs to introduce children to opera, an adult-lecture series, school-residency programs, professional-development courses for teachers, and research collaborations with institutes of higher learning and other arts organizations.

Montclair State University’s Communication Studies Department has worked with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Professional Golf Athlete Lorena Ochoa, Hackensack University Medical Center’s Ovarian Cancer Center, and the Andy Kaufman Award. For more information on the Curtain Call Awards, or questions about future participation, visit www.metguild.org, or e-mail curtaincallawards@metguild.org.