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Opera Birmingham
2011 Vocal Competition
Winner Spotlight: Melissa Shippen Burrows, Soprano
First Prize Winner in the Munich based Viotti International Vocal Competition and the 2011 Opera Birmingham Competition, Melissa Shippen Burrows made her debut on the RCA recording Belle Nuit with Vesselina Kasarova. The soprano was named a 2009 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions District Winner and Regional Finalist, and made her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic singing Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 Sorrowful Songs.
Recipient of the American Berlin Opera Foundation Scholarship, Melissa appeared on the stage of the Deutsche Oper Berlin as the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica (premiere). As a member of the Juilliard Opera Center, she was heard as Marenka in the 2005 production of The Bartered Bride and as Lia in Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue conducted by Yves Abel. She has sung leading roles with the Palm Beach Opera, Aspen Opera Theater, and Wolf Trap Opera, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Burrows made her Carnegie Hall debut as the soprano soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 Resurrection and returned in Britten’s War Requiem, both for which she received favorable reviews in The New York Times. Melissa was honored with the Culture Award from the American Scandinavian Society at the United Nations and was the 2nd Prize Award Junior Division Winner in the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition. Ms. Burrows performed at the Kennedy Center for U.S. President Clinton after being named a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts. She holds both Master and Bachelor of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School.
Second Place: Ray Chenez, countertenor
Third Place: Nicholas Pallesen, baritone
Fourth Place: Katherine Lerner, mezzo-soprano
Fifth Place: Adam Cannedy, baritone
Audience Favorite Award: Nicholas Pallesen, baritone
The Judges (Left to Right)
David O'Dell, General & Artistic Director, Amarillo Opera
John D. Jones, General Director, Opera Birmingham
Robert Gilder, Founder & Managing Director, Robert Gilder & Co.
The 2011 Semifinalists:
Soprano
Melissa Shippen Burrows — Nashville, TN
Lesley Friend — Alpharetta, GA
Jennifer Glidden — Garland, TX
Joann Martinson — Greensboro, NC
Marci Wagnon — Indianapolis, IN
Mezzo-Soprano
Katherine Lerner* — Brooklyn, NY
Julia Mintzer — Brooklyn, NY
Sarah Nordin* — Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Countertenor
Raymond Chenez* — Tallahassee, FL
Tenor
Noah Baetge — New York, NY
Sergio Cepeda — Fort Worth, TX
David Walton — Oxford, MS
Marshall Rollings — Jamestown, NC
Baritone
Wesley Brax — Columbia, SC
Adam Cannedy* — Brookline, MA
Ryne Cherry — DeLand, FL
Marcus King — Cordova, TN
Nathan Milholin — Greensboro, NC
Nicholas Pallesen — Woodbridge, VA
Brent Reilly Turner* — Katy, TX
*denotes competitor in previous years
Email the Competition Coordinator with any questions.
Vocal Competition Donors
1st Prize — The Martha Dick McClung Award given by Nanci Chazen; "Catch A Rising Star Recital" sponsored by Patty McDonald
2nd Prize — The Birmingham Opera Guild Award
3rd Prize — given by Michael J. & MaryAnne Freeman, in memory of George Omura, MD
4th Prize — given by Jane Paris & Dr. Chandler Smith
5th Prize — given by Sara Sistruck, in memory of Ken McKenzie
Audience Favorite Award — given by Tallie Dillard
Community Outreach Events
Opera Birmingham’s community outreach events are geared to provide underserved members of the community with opportunities to experience opera firsthand. Some of the organizations Opera Birmingham has worked with recently are Scrollworks, a music school which provides free lessons for underprivileged and inner-city children; New Pilgrim Towers, affordable housing for seniors; Brookdale Place senior living facility; and St. Anne’s Home residential treatment facility for women.