2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize Winner Announced
Congratulations to soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais, winner of the 2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize!
On Saturday, March 12, three fantastic singers performed songs and arias that left the audience spellbound during the stunning final round of the Wirth Vocal Prize held at Pollack Hall. Soprano Alexis Reed with pianist with Lucas Porter, soprano Kelsey Ronn with pianist Esther Gonthier, and soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais with pianist Louise Pelletier lit up the stage with their talent and skill.
Working on her master of music degree, Elisabeth is a student of Aline Kutan. Elisabeth’s award-winning programme included mélodies by Henri Duparc and lieder by Richard Strauss as well as Countess Almaviva’s aria, “Dove sono i bei momenti” from Act III of Mozart’s opera, Le nozze di Figaro, and Barbara Assiginaak’s “NMAKAAN’JIK, KIKZOOTAADWAK"
Elisabeth shared that, when selecting her repertoire, she chose music that that she simply loved. She discovered a few years ago that there were indigenous composers across Canada who compose opera, often based on indigenous stories or legends. As a First Nations herself, Elisabeth finds it wonderful that she's able to interpret the work of these composers in their nation’s languages which are different than her own, the Innu-aimun.
For the final, each singer performed a twenty-five-minute programme, which included at least one aria, and showcased a minimum of three languages, as outlined in the competition requirements. The Wirth Vocal Prize jury for the semifinal and final rounds includes both Schulich Voice Area members and colleagues from outside of McGill. The 2021-2022 jury is comprised of Artistic Director of the Regina Symphony, conductor Gordon Gerrard; Chantal Lambert, Artistic Administrator of l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal; Rosemarie Landry, Pedagogue and Voice Teacher at the Faculty of Music of l’Université de Montréal; and Schulich Voice Area professors Annamaria Popescu and Stefano Algieri. The jury was chaired by Prof. Andrea Creech, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at the Schulich School of Music who shares, "It was a great honour to serve as the President of the Jury for the 2021-2022 Wirth Vocal Prize. Both the semifinal and final showcased truly outstanding performances from each and every candidate. I extend my deepest thanks to our esteemed jury members for their thoughtful and careful deliberations, and offer huge congratulations to Elisabeth Saint-Gelais!"
The winner of this year’s Wirth Vocal Prize received a generous scholarship, valued at $25,000, as well as a smaller likeness of the Wirth Vocal Prize logo — a small crown — in the form of a 14-karat gold lapel pin. In addition, the winner will perform in the upcoming Schulich concert season and receives 6 hours of career coaching sessions with Marie-Catherine Lapointe of Boulevart Artists’ Management in Montreal. Runners-up in the final were awarded a $1,000 cash prize.
The Wirth Vocal Prize in vocal performance was established in 2015 through the extraordinary generosity of Elizabeth Wirth to the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, along with new Student Excellence Awards, and an innovative Student Initiatives Fund. Awarded yearly since its inception, the Wirth Vocal Prize recognizes a voice student who demonstrates exceptional talent and significant promise for an international career.
