Michelle Bawden, soprano
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, but Montreal is currently where I am calling home!
What is an essential part of making music for you?
For me, vulnerability and healing are extremely important in making music. Learning to be vulnerable with oneself and expressing that through singing is always a challenge but also an adventure for me. Singing has always been something I can rely on to comfort and heal.
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
I love to walk- I walk everywhere I can! Hiking with my family, being around nature, playing board games and playing disc golf with my boyfriend are also my favourite pass times!
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I like to listen to a lot of 80's music! "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Taco and pretty much anything by Madness are always fun to listen to!
How does music connect you to the community?
For me, music has always been connected to the community. I grew up singing in church choir and the Hamilton Children's choir, or playing cello in school orchestras and the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. After High School, I was granted a choral scholarship at McNab Street Presbyterian Church and now, I sing at their church every time I return home for the holidays. The community there is so welcoming and warm, I love sharing what I do with them.
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
A recent musical discovery was Ravel's Scheherazade, which 2 of the 3 songs are in my Wirth finals program. These pieces are absolutely beautiful and so expressive. I've really enjoyed working on them in Song Interpretation with my partner last term. They are very speech like and fluid and descriptive and very different from a lot of French mélodie that I had heard up until that point
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Being the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize would alleviate the stress of funds for travel and will allow me to apply and audition to more Young Artist Programs (YAPs).
Joshua DeVane, baritone
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Waycross, GA, USA. My wife and I moved here from Austin, TX, and before that we were in Boulder, CO.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
The best part of making music is the collaboration with other musicians. It’s so fun to build a collaborative rapport with a pianist, orchestra, or other ensemble. Singing isn’t so much fun for me on its own!
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
I love finding new restaurants, breweries and other places to visit in Montreal, and attending live performances. At home, I like to practice piano and check in with friends and family.
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
The Bill Evans Trio’s Sunday at the Village Vanguard is my go-to rainy day album.
How does music connect you to the community?
Music is a great way to interact with the city. Performance has connected me to so many other musicians and regular concertgoers in a short time. It’s one reason Montreal has begun to feel like home so quickly for my wife and me.
What are some of the ways you build positive routines in your music-making?
I find that it is important to create opportunities for low-stakes music making. So much of what performers do has very high stakes: competitions, reviewed performances, graded recitals, etc. and it is easy to lose sight of the fact that we are in this line of work because we love this music and enjoy performing it. Sometimes, stumbling through a few pieces with friends after a dinner party is a nice way to remind ourselves that performing can be casual and enjoyable, and that mistakes aren’t the end of the world!
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
My research at McGill has focused on vocal ornamentation in Verdi’s early and middle operas—something that is rarely done these days outside of some extra high notes. But early phonograph recordings and singer’s manuscripts from the 19th century indicate that it was once quite common!
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Like many other live performers, the pandemic dealt a serious blow to my career momentum and prospective work opportunities. So many companies have closed, and so many artists have decided to pursue other employment paths since 2020. Although we won’t be able to measure its effects for several years, the pandemic has caused a significant cultural loss all over the world. I am ready to enter the professional performing world again, but like so many other artists, it is not as simple as picking up where I left off. The Wirth Vocal Prize would provide me with the opportunity to invest in myself again, to renew pre-pandemic artistic connections, and to pursue new ones as well.
Nicholas Murphy, baritone
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Prince Edward Island
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Really connecting to the music, I think in classical music specifically it’s so cool to connect with this music and collaborate across centuries
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Video games are a huge escape for me
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Lisa Leblanc’s newest album Chiac Disco
How does music connect you to the community?
Through performing I think we’re able to communicate so much. Give so much of ourselves. Music is one of the only universal languages and I think viewing it through that lens is immensely powerful in connecting us to each other.
What are some of the ways you build positive routines in your music-making?
The best thing I implemented into my practice is making sure I set aside time to sing things for fun. Singing and performing is my life and the career I chose but it can quickly being to feel like a job. Singing for fun allows me to tap back into my love of the art.
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
I’ve recently really gotten into Weimar era cabaret music. Music from Weimar era Berlin that has such amazing classical crossover. Pieces by the likes of Friedrich Hollaender and Mischa Spolianski who wrote along the likes of Kurt Weill and Arnold Schoenberg.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
It’d give me the liberty to further my reach in the industry, as well as give me the financial freedom to continue my education with a little more peace of mind
Julie Silva, mezzo-soprano
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born in Los Angeles as a first-generation American, spent most of my youth in Wisconsin and have also lived in Chicago, Illinois and Austin, Texas. I’m excited that beautiful Montréal is my new home.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Collaboration. Being a singer has opened so many doors to fulfilling connections with other musicians and artists. I love the teamwork element that goes into making music from the massive undertaking of putting on an opera production to the collaborative, personal bond that a singer can form with a pianist in preparing a recital together.
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Rollerskating, ballet, hiking (the Mont Royal stairs are rejuvenating!), and making music videos! When in rest mode, I enjoy watching any British crime drama and the recently revived Party Down on TV.
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
I don’t know if this is a surprise…but I love Mariah Carey. My first vocal solo in front of a public audience was “Hero” at sixth grade graduation. I have loved all her vocals ever since.
How does music connect you to the community?
As singers, we are story tellers. We share stories packed with the emotion of the human voice with the community. Our music entertains. It provides an escape for audience members. And, in those most magical moments, it can make audience members feel a greater understanding of humanity.
What are some of the ways you build positive routines in your music-making?
I focus on singing every day (even just a little!) and approach each warm-up and practice session with a growth mindset. When working on my craft without singing, I spend time listening to recordings of previous coachings and lessons, listen to other classic recordings, and try my best to eat healthy, exercise daily and get a full night’s rest!
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
Something fun lately that I’ve done is record operatic vocals for a hip-hop beat producer friend. The musical discovery in this is that hip-hop beats and operatic vocals mesh in an exciting way! It’s so fun to collaborate in unexpected ways!
Also I’ve found inspiration in virtuosic vocal genres inside and outside of Western classical singing. Recently, a friend recommended I listen to “El Pastor,” a song in the huapango style from Mexico (Mariachi Cobre’s version is a must-listen!). It is inspiring to hear what the human voice can do with text and emotion across vocal styles.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Besides being a great honor, it would help propel me professionally by funding further lessons, travel for auditions, and production costs for singing projects in the works.
Ilanna Starr, mezzo-soprano
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born and raised just outside of Washington, DC, but the majority of my extended family lives here in Montreal.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Collaboration and storytelling are the most essential elements of music making for me. I am in awe of the power we have as musicians; that alone, but even more so together, with other voices and instruments, we can move an audience to tears or anger or laugher. My goal is to live so truthfully in the moment in performance (after much practice), that I hopefully enable my listener(s) to feel something stir deep in their soul. Without commitment to what I am saying and a willingness to be vulnerable while communicating that story, this pursuit is nearly impossible. This is precisely why I love this art form: I want to spend my life telling stories that reflect the depths of the human experience, conjure spaces of collective empathy and above all, have emotional impact and meaning.
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
Yoga, facetiming with family and friends, taking walks through old MTL and exploring coffee & donut shops around town!
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
My parents raised me on Motown and Celine Dion. I also love jazz and am always listening to Ella.
How does music connect you to the community?
I feel most understood when I sing; the chance to connect with colleagues, fellow musicians, friends, teachers and audiences through this medium daily is such a gift. I think people stay in this field because the act of making or listening to music in itself helps us better understand ourselves so that we can more readily connect with others.
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
I recently learned that music is used at certain vineyards throughout the wine-making and aging process—they play music constantly believing that its energy infuses uplifting vibrations into the wine. Learning this fact brought me back to an incredible course that I took during my masters at Northwestern about the Biology of Sound and Music where I discovered the power that sounds and vibrations have over all living things, not just vertebrates. Some of the most interesting studies showed that the roots of plants will bend toward the sound of water (ie. an underground water pipe) rather than the plant’s actual water source, and also that flowers will only release pollen in response to a particular buzz frequency of a bee. When I sing and create sound vibrations every day, I don’t take it for granted—it reminds me of my connection to the natural world around me and makes me wonder who, or, rather, what could be listening back to me.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
It would be life changing. As I bridge the gap between my academic studies and my life as a professional performer, winning the Wirth Vocal Prize would relieve much of the stress that comes with emerging into the real world. More specifically, it would allow me to focus more of my energy toward honing my craft and further developing my artistry. I would be able to more readily coach with teachers and mentors that have made a significant impact on me and also travel to more auditions in the coming season.
Christina Thanisch-Smith, soprano
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
I was born in Fredericton and raised in Winnipeg.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
The connection between those on stage and the audience. Of course, I love how singing makes me feel and the purpose it serves in my life, but there is nothing that beats the feeling of sharing music with an audience. It is a humbling privilege to present art on such a high level to an appreciative audience, and I definitely do no take it for granted.
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
I balance out my time in the practice room with going for walks and exercising, or sitting down with a cup of tea and a puzzle. I realized how much I enjoyed puzzling during my COVID quarantines and still use them to disconnect when I have an evening free.
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Hmm... That's a tough one. I'll be honest, I listen to a lot of classical music, even in my free time. If I had to list a non-classical piece, it would probably be something by ABBA. I grew up listening to their albums and always start singing along when a song of their's starts playing. Instant feel-good music!
How does music connect you to the community?
The saying "when words fail, music speaks" immediately comes to mind. Asides from the fact that it's a cliché, it rings true. You never when or how your music-making may affect someone else, and that's a very special responsibility we have. That's why we must take every opportunity we can do share our music with the greater community. Music heals!
What are some of the ways you build positive routines in your music-making?
Instant forgiveness and knowing when to say no (although that's easier said than done...). The emotional and physical demands are incredibly high for singers as our bodies are our instruments. We have to be in "working order" on a daily basis, so pacing myself and being kind to my body and our mind is very important.
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
I've programmed the aria "Aint it a pretty night" from Carlisle Floyd's Susannah on my final-round programme. However, I only recently learnt that Floyd wrote the role of Susannah for the soprano, Phyllis Curtin, with whom my current teacher, Dominique Labelle, studied with. So, in a way it feels like a bit of a full-circle moment to work on this aria with Dominique in my lessons, as she has a special insight into the character of Susannah.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
It would be a tremendous honour to win this year's competition. Asides from the exciting performance opportunities that come with being a Wirth Vocal Prize winner, such as recitals in Toronto and Montreal, winning first place would help me tremendously with the financial burdens emerging artists face. A large portion of my budget this season was focused on traveling for auditions (to New York, Switzerland, and various cities in Canada). As costly as these trips can be, auditioning for companies and programs is an imperative part of establishing yourself as an emerging artist. The Wirth Vocal Prize will help me continue to attend auditions in the coming years, and continue to represent McGill on an international level as I embark on my professional career.
Jingjing Xu, mezzo-soprano
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
Wuhu, Anhui, China
What is an essential part of making music for you?
Communication is always the most important thing to me.
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
I do a lot of cooking, and I always find it enjoyable .
What are some of the ways you build positive routines in your music-making?
I always do some short physical exercise before singing, it has been extremely helpful!
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
Doing lots of recording sessions helps me keep on track of what my voice sounds like under a certain level of pressure.
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
It would certainly give me very strong financial support for the next stage of my education.
Patricia Yates, tenor
Where are you from, or where do you call home?
My home is the small town of Hebden Bridge, in West Yorkshire, UK.
What is an essential part of making music for you?
A consistent goal of mine in making music is to feel myself reflected, in some way, in my artistry. If there is some of me in the music, then I’m making a connection with the composer and with the audience.
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When you’re not in preparation and practice mode, how do you disconnect?
When I’m not practising, you can find me watching RuPaul’s Drag Race or a British crime drama.
What’s something someone might be surprised to find on your playlist?
Erykah Badu and Anna Meredith in the same playlist? I’d say they’re the extremes of my non-classical listening.
How does music connect you to the community?
Whenever I have artistic autonomy (and I try to always maintain that to an extent), I like to “queer” classical music a little bit. That certainly keeps me connected to my community, which has historically been erased from classical music.
What are some of the ways you build positive routines in your music-making?
A practice I have recently adopted for healthy music-making is to keep my schedule varied and balanced. Sometimes this is harder to do, and during those periods it’s extra important to take time for myself, or for my hobbies, or for my friends. It’s just like any diet – it is possible to have too much of a good thing!
What’s a recent musical discovery you’ve made?
One of my favourite topics to talk about at the moment is the flexibility of the Fach system. Singers have always loved to categorise themselves – and categories like those in the Fach system can be useful! But they can also limit one’s creative range. My current ethos is: if it feels good, sounds healthy, hurts no one, and brings you joy, SING IT!
What would being named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize enable you to do?
Being named the winner would accelerate my development, and keep me on the track I’m meant to be on. I believe I have an important task ahead of me. I don’t just want to be a performer, I want to use my artistry to urge the whole singing community on to a level of equity and inclusiveness which means people of more varied identities, experiences and backgrounds can participate in this great art form. I’m ready to lead the way, and winning the Wirth Vocal Prize would illuminate the path ahead of me.
