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Saturday, February 18, 2012
8:00 pm
Presidents' Day WeekendWeill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY)
and the New York Opera Studio (NYOS), the Nico Castel International
Master Singer Competition rewards and acknowledges excellent vocal
technique and artistry in opera and oratorio.
Clay Aiken will be a judge for the 2012 Competition! Rounding out the fine panel of judges are Sharon Sweet, soprano from the New York Met, Nico Castel, Jonathan Griffith and Timothy Seelig. Meet the judges
2012 Master Singer Results
Congratulations to Courtney Mills and LaMarcus Miller, winners of the 2012 Nico Castel International Master Singer Competition!
Female Finalists: Amaya Arberas Navarro, Courtney Mills, Sara Snider Schone, and Maryann Mootos
Male Finalists: Enrique Pina, LaMarcus Miller, Eric Jurenas, and Ivan Rivera De Beltran
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Finalist bios |
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I. De Beltran
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Ivan Rivera De Beltran
Born in Yauco, Puerto Rico, Ivan Rivera was most recently seen as Ferrando in Opera Manhatttan's concert version of Cosi fan tutte, Don Basilio in the Marriage of Figaro with OperaMission at the Bryant Park Festival, Don Almaviva in Atlantic Opera's production of Barber of Seville and Ferrando in the Underworld Productions' mounting of Cosi fan tutte at Symphony Space. Opera News applauded Mr. Rivera as "tight, deft tenor who handled Ferrando's music well." Other roles include Tony (West Side Story), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Il Duca (Rigoletto), Ralph (HMS Pinafore), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Tybalt (Romeo et Juliette), Nathanael (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), and Nermorino (L'elisir D'amore). He's performed as Tenor Soloist in Bruckner ‘s Te Deum and Schubert's Mass in G for the Masterwork Chorale Summer Sing Program and sang in Assisi, Italy as part of the 2011 Assisi Music Festival.
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E. Jurenas
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Eric Jurenas
As a current student at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in Cincinnati, Ohio he is a frequent performer of both baroque and newly written works.
He has worked with several groups as featured soloist, including American Bach Soloists, Kentucky (Lexington) Bach Choir, Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, UC Davis Ensembles, St. Andrews Arts Council, and several Cincinnati-area groups. Honors include 1st place in the Dayton Opera Guild Competition, 1st place in the Lexington Bach Choir Competition, and 1st place in the Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee Competition.
He is a student of William McGraw and George Gibson, including early studies with his mother Joan Jurenas.
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L. Miller
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LaMarcus Miller
Mr. Miller has been hailed as "A voice to remember" by The Rockwall Music Festival Located in Rockwall Texas. Mr. Miller is a 1st year Masters Student at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Mark Oswald. Operatic reportoire includes: Dancaire in Carmen, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Simone in Gianni Schicchi, also a musical theatre review of Beauty and The Beast debuting as "The Beast". He has also performed many oratorio works such as Zoltan Kodaly's Te Deum, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's mass no. 6 in G Missa Sancti Nicolai, Malcolm Archer and Mozart's Requiem. upcoming: Madame Butterfly (Sugar Creek symphony)
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C. Mills
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Courtney A. Mills
Ms. Mills is a native of Illinois and had the opportunity to study at the world-renowned Interlochen Arts Academy. It was there that she discovered her life-long love of opera. After attending Indiana University, Ms. Mills continued her professional studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program, Verbier Music Festival Young Artist Program and Cardiff International Academy of Voice. Ms. Mills is equally at home on the operatic stage and in the concert hall. She recently appeared at the Chautauqua Opera as First Lady in The Magic Flute and the cover for the title role in Verdi's masterpiece, Luisa Miller. While at the Metropolitan Opera, she also made her debut as the High Priestess in Verdi's Aida.
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M. Mootos
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Maryann Mootos
Soprano Maryann Mootos has an outstanding voice, capable of both power and beauty. Her versatile and flexible soprano spans many roles, including Micaela, Donna Anna, Marguerite, Nedda, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Violetta, among others. She has appeared with Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra, Bel Cantanti Opera, Regina Opera, Chelsea Opera, Long Island Opera, Miami Lyric Opera, and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. She holds a Master's degree in Opera Performance from Temple University and a Bachelor's degree in Voice from the Eastman School of Music. Upcoming engagements include Gilda with Delaware Valley Opera in January and Tatyana with Bel Cantanti Opera in April.
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A. Navarro
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Amaya Arberas Navarro
Amaya Arberas (soprano) was born in San Sebastián, Spain, where she pursued studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música and took voice classes with José Ramón Arteta. In New York, she studied voice with Diana Soviero and Beth Roberts and repertoire with Joan Dornemann. Her repertoire includes opera, zarzuela, oratorio, and concert arias. She sang Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Rossini's Petitte Messe Solennelle at various venues in Spain, and interpreted the roles of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Adina in L'Elisir d'amore (Donizetti) and Norina in Don Pasquale (Donizetti). She has performed at the Conde Duque Auditorium in Madrid, and with the Symphony Orchestra of Puerto Rico. She sang the role of Ana Mari in the zarzuela El Caserío by Guridi.
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E. Pina
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Enrique Pina
Mr. Pina began his career in his native Dominican Republic at the Teatro Nacional of Santo Domingo, where he sang a number of roles before he moved to Italy for vocal and musical studies, including six years under the tutelage of the legendary Franco Corelli. After several years of studies Mr. Pina re-emerged as a robust lyric tenor assaying the roles of Gustavo in Un Ballo in Maschera, Don Jose in Carmen, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in various venues in the New York City area, in Michigan and Florida. Sacco in Anton Coppola's Sacco e Vanzetti in Tampa, Florida and Malatestino in Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini at the National Theatre in Szeged, Hungary. He has also been active on the concert stage, recently as featured soloist in a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City and with the National Symphony Orchestra in Santo Domingo.
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S. Schone
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Sara Snider Schone
Sara's recent performances include solo and comprimario roles with Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Jo March in Little Women at UT at Chattanooga, the premier of a chamber opera Dekacophony at the New Dischord Music Festival, and soloist with Southern Adventist University Symphony Orchestra in Poland. Last season she placed 3rd at The International Franz Liszt Competition, was quarter finalist in the American Traditions Competition, and placed 5th at the Bauru-Atlanta Competition. She studies voice with David Pennebaker and Reinaldo Macias in Chattanooga, and coaches with Gwendolyn Halstead in Atlanta. She holds a bassoon performance degree from Southern Adventist University.
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