The Dallas Opera Guild has announced that registration is now open for the Biennial Lone Star Vocal Competition.
Held every other year, the event brings together young Texas vocalists who are working to establish their careers. The upcoming competition is scheduled for March 30-31, 2023, at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas.
Eligible applicants must demonstrate Texas residency or current enrollment in a Texas school, be under the age of 30, and have not participated in a resident artist program with a professional opera company or have had a contract with an opera house.
After registering, prospective candidates must submit two videos for prescreening purposes and a list of three pieces to be performed if selected to compete.
First, second, and third-place winners take home $5,000, $3,000, and $1,500, respectively. In addition, a People’s Choice award winner will receive $1,000.
From its inception in 1987, the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition focused on vocalists with a Texas connection before evolving into the Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition in 2014. In 2020, The Dallas Opera inaugurated the Biennial Lone Star Vocal Competition to complement the national competition and shine a spotlight on Texas vocalists once again.
The general director and CEO of Dallas Opera House, Ian Derrer, said, “The Dallas Opera Guild has always had a special affection for homegrown talent. It’s easy to understand why the membership wished to return to that proud tradition.”
The last competition, in June 2020, was held virtually due to pandemic concerns. The People’s Choice winner of 2020 was Ricardo Ceballos de la Mora, a native of Mexico and a former Southern Methodist University student.
Ceballos’ booming bass vocals impressed audiences, and he received more than 7,000 votes online, taking home a $1,000 cash prize.
“It means a lot. Dallas Opera is one of the top opera houses in the world. So, I think this is going to boost my career,” Ceballos told The Dallas Morning News.
Martha Allday, honorary chair of the Dallas Opera and Member of the Dallas Opera Guild, observed, “Every artist has a unique story about how they came to their careers in opera, and vocal competitions are frequently a part of that story.”
