Orpheus Vocal Competition
Dear Orpheus Contestants and Patrons,
We are grateful for your ongoing support as well as that of our founding and sponsoring body, the Middle Tennessee Choral Society. At their request we are severing from them and forming our own non-profit entity. During this period of transition it is necessary for the competition to take a one-year hiatus. We look forward to seeing you back with us next season. Registration will open in Fall 2025.
Sincerely,
Will Perkins
Artistic Director
Founded in 1996, the Orpheus Vocal Competition exists to provide financial support and encouragement to singers up to age 30 from around the United States who are pursuing careers as Vocal artists. Orpheus is the only competition of its kind in the south central United States.
Requirements and Application
The Young Artist and Student Competition is open to any singer who has completed or is in the process of completing an accredited music education.
Student category ages 19-24.
Young Artist category ages 25 to 30.
In the application, you will need to submit a link to your audition video in .mp4 format in recital attire.
Videos should be recorded in a concert-like space (church sanctuary, recital hall, auditorium, etc.) in order to provide the judges with the best acoustic experience. Please avoid bedrooms, living rooms, faculty offices and practice rooms and remember to wear concert attire. Please ensure the audio quality of your recording reflects your musical capabilities.
Please host the video on YouTube if possible. Please note that your video will be used for all rounds of the competition.
Following a virtual preliminary round, the Finals of the 2024 Orpheus Vocal Competition will be held Saturday/Sunday March 2nd and 3rd, 2024 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN.
Important Dates:
• Application deadline December 1st, 2023.
• Contestants will be informed of their acceptance by January 15th, 2024.
• Finalists will be invited for an in person competition March 2nd-3rd, 2024.*
Please note that your original video submission will be used for the initial round and the semi-final round of the competition.
*We are planning for an in-person finalist competition but reserve the right to make changes based on public health or other considerations
Please contact Will Perkins (615) 904-8395 or the MTSU School of Music (615) 898-2694 for further assistance.
You will need the following materials to fill out the online application:
All Applicants must completely fill out the online application by the deadline.
1. Your list of repertoire
Repertoire Requirements:
– In the Young Artist category: 2 arias.
– In the Student category: 1 aria and 1 art song.
2. A link to your audition video in .mp4 format (please wear recital attire.) Please post yours on YouTube if possible.
– Your video should include both selections.
– Please put your name in the video title.
– Videos should be recorded in a concert-like space (church sanctuary, recital hall, auditorium, etc.) in order to provide the judges with the best acoustic experience. Please avoid bedrooms, living rooms, faculty offices and practice rooms and remember to wear concert attire. Please ensure the audio quality of your recording reflects your musical capabilities.
3. An updated Résumé in MS Word, pdf, or Open Office format.
4. A payment method (Paypal or Debit / Credit card) for the non-refundable application fee of $75.
Important:
• Only singers who are seriously pursuing careers as vocal artists need apply.
• Afternoon recital attire is standard.
Judges for the 2022 Orpheus Vocal Competition
John Hoomes
Mr. Hoomes is the CEO & Artistic Director of Nashville Opera. Mr. Hoomes has been the Artistic Director of Nashville Opera since 1995.
An Emmy nominated stage director, he has directed over 200 productions of opera and music theatre in the US, South America, and Canada, including TOSCA, ANDREA CHENIER, LA BOHEME, CARMEN, DER ROSENKAVALIER, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, SALOME, DON GIOVANNI, OTELLO, AIDA, and TURANDOT.
Mr. Hoomes staged the world premieres of Robert Aldridge’s ELMER GANTRY, (recorded on Naxos Records and winner of 2 Grammys; also named the #1 opera CD release by Opera News) The New York Times declared his Nashville Opera world premiere of Elmer Gantry “An Operatic Miracle…in Nashville.” An Opera News feature article acknowledged, “Hoomes has proved himself one of the most interesting stage directors in the regional market today with a seemingly limitless knowledge of repertoire.”
Nashville Opera’s world premiere production of THREE WAY was remounted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in June 2017. Hoomes also directed Daniel Catán’s opera FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS for Nashville Opera, and later remounted his original production for the New York City Opera in the Rose Theatre at Lincoln Center.
Margaret Lattimore
Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore has been praised for her “glorious instrument” and dubbed an “undisputed star…who has it all – looks, intelligence, musicianship, personality, technique, and a voice of bewitching amber color” by the Boston Globe. While she began her career singing the florid works of Händel, Rossini, and Mozart, Ms. Lattimore expanded her repertoire in recent seasons to include the works of Mahler, Verdi, and Wagner, making her one of the most versatile mezzo-sopranos performing today. After winning The Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, Ms. Lattimore joined their young artist program and quickly made her Met début as Dorotea in Stiffelio with Plácido Domingo. She later appeared in the PBS Great Performances broadcasts of Stiffelio and Madama Butterfly. Since her house début, Ms. Lattimore has performed the role of Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette, Praskowia in The Merry Widow, and the roles of Meg Page in Falstaff and Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby.
With an accomplished concert career both domestically and internationally, Ms. Lattimore’s recent concert engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2; Bach’s B-minor Mass; Handel’s Messiah; Verdi’s Requiem; Rossini’s Stabat Mater; Mozart’s Requiem; Berenice; Mozart’s Mass in C minor; Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
Margaret Lattimore is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and winner of awards from the Houston Grand Opera Studio, the Richard Tucker Foundation, and the George London Foundation. She is a faculty member at the Mannes School of Music and resides in New York City with her husband and son.
Jacquelyn Matava
Winner of The American Prize (2021) for women in opera, mezzo-soprano Jacquelyn Matava has been praised for her “warm sound” and “soothing legato line.” She made her debut at the 2022 Glimmerglass Festival as Nelda in Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents and also covered Mercédès in Carmen. An accomplished concert artist, Dr. Matava has been heard as a soloist in performances of Bach’s Mass in B minor, Duruflé’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, and Stravinsky’s Les Noces. She has sung with Tanglewood Music Center, Lucerne Festival Academy, Opera Saratoga, Crested Butte Music Festival, Opera San Antonio, Alamo City Opera, Victoria Bach Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and Hudson Valley BachFest.
Since 2017, Dr. Matava has served as Assistant Professor of Music at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, where she teaches applied voice, opera workshop, and aural skills. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, National Opera Association, and Texas Music Educators Association, and has been a sought-after adjudicator for competitions across the United States. She also serves as Managing Editor for SongHelix, a searchable art song database (SongHelix.com).
A native of Farmington, Connecticut, Dr. Matava holds a D. M. and M. M. in vocal performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and B. A. in music and economics from Vassar College.