UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of Music will proudly present the exciting final concert of "Sing Out!," a scholarship competition for voice performers across theatrical genres, at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, in Eisenhower Chapel of the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. Public admission to the final concert is free.
Showcasing vocal training at Penn State, "Sing Out!" reflects the ways in which students in the School of Music and School of Theatre develop artistic and technical knowledge in both classical and musical theatre repertories. Scholarship contestants provide a program of three contrasting selections — one from opera, one from musical theatre, and one of the singer’s choice. The performances are staged to embody the character and express the lyric, and value is placed on students stretching themselves vocally, dramatically, and musically.
"Sing Out!" has its roots in the cross-training offered in Penn State's voice studios. The competition reflects important current trends in the profession (i.e. opera houses programming works from the musical theatre canon), and is inspired by the successes of crossover artists such as Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran Kelli O’Hara, who is regularly featured in roles at the Metropolitan Opera. It also provides a valuable educational experience for those pursuing professional singing careers, as audition guidelines for major award programs such as the Lotte Lenya Competition (http://www.kwf.org/pages/lotte-lenya-competition.html) and the American Traditions Vocal Competition (https://www.americantraditionscompetition.com/) now consistently ask singers to bring material from contrasting genres. In addition, collegiate voice-faculty vacancy notices increasingly call for skills in both classical and musical theatre styles.
The preliminary round of "Sing Out!" took place on Sunday, Feb. 4, and the finalists worked with world-renowned voice coach Arlene Shrut and School of Theatre faculty member Gwen Walker on Feb. 11 in preparation for the final round. First and second place prizes will be awarded at this final concert, in addition to honorable mention awards for best operatic performance and best musical theatre performance.
"Sing Out!" is funded by the President’s Fund for Research in Undergraduate Education and the Penn State School of Music.