Richard Miller Classical Voice Competition for High School Students returns in November

Oberlin Conservatory is proud to announce the return of the Richard Miller Classical Voice Competition for High School Students, a festival aimed at encouraging and supporting high school students in the pursuit of a career in classical vocal music. The festival is named in honor of Richard Miller, a member of the voice faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music for more than 40 years.

The competition will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024. Only the Final Round will be public, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Kulas Recital Hall.

Richard Miller was a lyric tenor, voice teacher, researcher, author of eight standard books on voice pedagogy and performance, and arguably one of the most influential voice pedagogues in history. He served as a professor in Oberlin Conservatory's Voice Department for more than 40 years, from 1964-2006. He became known internationally for master classes in systematic vocal technique and artistic interpretation and presented across the United States and in Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. An active researcher and author in voice technique and performance, he eagerly brought together what is known scientifically about the voice with what is known pedagogically. This work led to more than 100 articles he wrote for professional journals including Journal of Voice, Folia Phoniatrica, Choral Journal, American Music Teacher, Vocal Arts Medicine, Journal of Research in Singing and Applied Vocal Pedagogy, and Journal of Singing.

Competition director and Oberlin voice professor Salvatore Champagne ’85 founded the competition last year and is thrilled for the second year of the esteemed event. “We are looking to repeat the success of last year’s inaugural competition by inviting another group of talented candidates to campus,” he begins. “This year’s competition takes place during opera weekend, so we have arranged for all the contestants [and their parents] to attend Oberlin Opera’s production of Cendrillon. This is just one way we are hoping to familiarize the contestants with the wonderful work being done by the Conservatory’s Vocal Studies Department.”

Adjudicators for the second year of competition on Saturday, November 9, 2024, include accomplished Oberlin voice faculty as well as a new guest juror and masterclass teacher. For its second year, the competition will feature renowned bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, a 1999 Oberlin alum who completed both his bachelor’s and master’s studies in Vocal Performance at the Oberlin Conservatory.

Much like the inaugural competition, there was an overwhelming number of submissions. Eligible contestants are sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school. A pre-screening round finalized in October determined the roster of 15 young artists who will participate in live rounds on campus.

2024 Competition Participants:

Isaac Ahn, Fort Lee, NJ
Anabelle Calles Miami Lakes, FL
Grace Davis, Arlington, WA
Nikolas Epstein, Winston Salem, NC
Amarantha Flachs-Hernandez, Alexandria, VA
Olivia Glod, Elmhurst, IL
Valentina Gomez, Miami, FL
Caroline Jacobson, Spring, TX
Anderson Rambler, Canton, OH
Taylor-Marie Robinson, Greenville, SC
Maureen Shields, Northfield, MA
Sara Springett, Spring, TX
Lavinia Watkins, Laguna Beach, CA
Eddie Zhou, Westborough, MA
Kevin Zhou, Westborough, MA

Competition participants will compete for cash prizes and scholarships to Oberlin College and Conservatory—including a $2,500 First Prize—as well as the opportunity to appear in two master classes—one with members of Oberlin’s accomplished voice faculty and one with Daniel Okulitch. Previous winners and competition information can be found at Richard Miller Classical Voice Competition for High School Students.

The competition schedule begins with a morning Semifinal Round and continues in the afternoon with master classes. The Final Round will feature five singers who will perform one selection of their choosing. The Finals will be held at 5 p.m. in the Conservatory’s Kulas Recital Hall and is open to the public. Admission is free.

The Richard Miller Classical Voice Competition for High School Students is supported in part by funds given in memory of former Oberlin College and Conservatory faculty member and alumnus Howard Lubin '75. 

Abbi Getty is a third-year french horn student at Oberlin Conservatory.