Collegiate Vocal Competition

Opera Grand Rapids is proud to announce its 2020/21 Collegiate Vocal Competition!

The 17th annual Collegiate Vocal Competition is an opportunity for college-level voice students to compete for cash prizes and receive feedback from adjudicators who themselves are acclaimed opera artists. Opera Grand Rapids brings world-class professionals into its adjudication process in order to give contestants meaningful instruction and critique.

The competition enters its second year in a new format: first-round applications are now submitted online, and 10 finalists will perform in the final-round concert at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 3, 2021. This competition boasts the second-largest purse in the nation at nearly $25,000, awarded as follows:

First Place
$10,000

Second Place
$5,000

Third Place
$2,500

Friends of the Opera Award
$1,000
chosen by audience members during the final-round concert

10 Finalists will receive $500 to be used as a travel stipend

2020/21 COMPETITION TIMELINE

First-Round Application

Contestants must submit several materials for the first round:

1. Video recordings of two arias

• • At least one piece must be in a language other than English.
  • At least one piece must have been composed in 1950 or later.

2. Written response to the given prompt

• • 2020 has forced artists—especially singers—to face unprecedented challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to a racial reckoning. What have you done to make your art relevant and accessible, and how are you using your art to better the lives of others?

3. Application fee, payable online through Acceptd

• • $30 for students who attend a school in the Opera Grand Rapids Collegiate Consortium
  • $100 for all other students

4. Résumé
5. Headshot
6. Photocopy of an ID with date of birth clearly displayed

And the winners are…

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS