Elisabeth Saint-Gelais (Winner)
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Home for me is Saguenay, where my sisters and my mother live. Montreal is my second home that I have happily adopted.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Healing by singing and communicating emotions to people to allow them to be open to Art.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Jazz jazz jazz!
How does music connect you to the community?
Music is all about connection! It’s a deep experience with yourself, teachers, musicians, and audience. For me, with music, it all comes together.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
I would feel safer to travel next year and could do more Young Artist Program (YAPs) auditions without worrying about money. It would actually help me to travel more for auditions!
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
I discovered a couple years ago that there were indigenous composers across Canada who compose Opera, often based on indigenous stories or legends. As a First Nations myself, I find it completely wonderful that I can interpret the work of those composers in their nation’s languages which are different than my own, the Innu-aimun.
What’s next for you?
I'll be in Hamilton in March 2022 recording The Potawatomi by Barbara Assiginaak, an amazing Anishnaabe composer. I'll do the role of Marianne. Also, I am going to Berlin this summer perform the role of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at Berlin Opera Academy.
Alexis Reed
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I am from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
An essential part of music-making for me is storytelling. When I sing, I want the audience to feel like they are on a journey with me. It's exciting and rewarding for both the singer and the audience to feel that energy and emotional connection.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
My dad raised me on high-energy alternative indie and rock music. I don't think many would expect me to be listening to that if they passed me on the street!
How does music connect you to the community?
Music has always been my greatest connection to the community. As a child, my parents made up songs to sing to me and I did the same for them. I grew up always telling them to turn up the volume so we could scream along to the radio. I joined choirs early on in life, and by high school, music was my main source of connection to others. All of my closest friends were involved in choir, band, or musical theater, but even my friends who weren't involved in those things understood the power of music. I quickly learned that music is an art that everyone, from any background, can appreciate. It transcends. If you start a conversation by asking someone what music they like to listen to, you're likely to spark a passionate conversation and learn something new about them.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize would allow me to pay off student debt and invest in future lessons, coachings, auditions, competitions, and travel fees. These costs can quickly add up as a young artist who is fresh out of school and trying to establish a career. It would be life-changing to have the award money to put myself out there and audition for as many opportunities as I can within the next few years in order to jump-start my professional career.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
What a challenging decision! I have reasons for wanting to meet all of them. I would like to meet and learn from Britten because I have worked on two of his operas and would love to learn from and work with him directly. Massenet and Strauss have an incredible output of some of the most exquisite opera and song, and I would love to talk with them about their musical world-building. I also want to meet Undine Smith Moore, a Black American composer and professor who produced music and writings that fascinate and inspire; a woman who has been overlooked by history and deserves to be heard. However, if I could only choose one, it would have to be Mozart. He is the most well-known name in classical music today and his works hold up as some of the best of all time. What would he think of this? How would he feel about how classical music has developed since the 18th century? What would he say if he saw a modern production of his works? We learn so much about Mozart in school, but the more answers I get, the more questions I have!
What’s next for you?
I look forward to spending this summer at the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory, where I will perform in a production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, take lessons and coachings from the world-renowned faculty, and perform in masterclasses and recitals. I plan to spend the fall working and auditioning for young artist and resident artist programs across North America. For the first time in my life, I will not be a student. It's stressful to not have every little aspect of my life planned out ahead of time, but I am excited to see what the future holds!
Kelsey Ronn
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Go Riders! However, I have many places that I call my home. For instance, Waskesiu Lake, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Montreal are some to name a few.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Collaboration and storytelling by far! They are both equally essential for me. A story is always stronger when it is told by more than one person and by sharing stories, it inspires others to tell their own.
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What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I don’t believe there is anything on my playlist that someone would find completely shocking. However, they may discover that it is super diverse. Nevertheless, an artist I've really been enjoying lately is H.E.R. Go listen to, "Best Part" and tell me what you think.
How does music connect you to the community?
Since music is such a universal language, I believe it allows me to connect with my community on a mental, physical and spiritual level. A melody they hear might remind them of a person, place, thing, or idea. Isn't music so flippin' cool?
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
My goodness! Winning the Wirth Vocal Prize would be such an honour. Not only would it enable me to cultivate my career outside of Canada, but it would significantly help with paying off pesky student loans.
If you could meet any of the composers on your program, who would it be? What would you want to know?
I would love to meet Tom Cipullo! I would simply want to talk to him about his process and tell him how beautiful his music is.
What’s next for you?
I'm thrilled about my goals for the future. I'm ready to increase my profitability as an artist by getting my life coaching certification from the ICF (International Coach Federation), and I'm ready to show the opera world what I'm made of.
