Voice Competition

This past Sunday, Exonians gathered in the Bowld for the PEA Music Department Vocal Festival and Competition. Students of all singing levels performed various pieces for judges, peers and the greater Exeter community. Senior Hanna Pak emerged as the winner of the competition, and upper Paula Perez-Glassner earned an honorable mention.The competition was adjudicated by a panel comprised of three esteemed figures in the music industry: Benjamin Harris, Matthew Hoch and Rebecca Folsom. Harris is a Senior Lecturer in vocal coaching at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and a chamber musician on National Public Radio’s Performance Today program. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall. Hoch is an Associate Professor of Voice at Auburn University, and his students have gone on to win awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Music Teachers National Association and others. Additionally, Folsom has appeared in performances with the Fort Worth Opera, Utah Festival Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and more. Preps, lowers and uppers performed in ‘Division I’ to receive feedback, while some uppers and seniors chose to compete in ‘Division II’ to win a feature spot in the choral concert at the end of the term. The twenty Division I singers were accompanied by pianist Molly Lozeau, and the eleven Division II singers were accompanied by pianist Silvana Sokolov-Grubb. When all of the students had finished, the judges stepped out of the Bowld to make their decision. Finally, Hoch came back to the stage and announced that Pak had won, and Perez-Glassner had earned an honorable mention.“It was a big afternoon with a lot of great singing,” Hoch said. “I enjoyed hearing young people … singing so well and obviously loving the music by the way they sang it.” When asked what criteria the judges had used to decide upon a winner, Hoch responded, “Singing itself is very subjective … we consider things like vocal maturity, artistry and quality of voice … but another three judges might have chosen two different singers.”Audience members and performers alike enjoyed the show. “I think it went really well,” lower and participant Sarah Nichols said. “I think everyone's really, really talented and it was great getting a chance to hear everyone and getting a chance to perform.”Senior Hannah Brown, who also sings, was able to use the competition as a vehicle to reflect on her own musical journey at Exeter. “I was able to think back to when I was in the shoes of the preps and lowers,” she said. “Many people were singing Alma del core, which was the first song that I sang when I began taking lessons.”Piano accompanist Sokolov-Grubbalso enjoyed the process of working with students individually. “It’s always great to work with so many different singers with different backgrounds and different abilities,” she said. She further expressed her appreciation for the Bowld itself. “We have a wonderful hall and a wonderful piano and that really contributes to the quality of the whole experience for the kids and the audience.”The competition represented a significant moment as well for the performers. “[When] I discovered the world of classical music, [I] fell in love with it,” Perez-Glassner said. “I love that with singing you can express an emotion to an audience and convey something through the music, not just the words.”Winner Hannah Pak expressed her excitement to be competing. “It’s really fun to be there and have all the eyes on you,” she said. “[It] allows you to shine and have fun and get into character.”As a senior, this was Pak’s last Exeter Vocal Competition. “I’ve seen and been in this contest for a while,” she said. “It's really cool to see my peers and me come from being preps and lowers to big seniors now.”Pak was pleasantly surprised that the judges had chosen her as the winner. “I started studying voice seriously with a teacher last year,” she said “It took a lot of outside practice [for the competition] and listening to the songs … I’m just really happy and proud, and it’s a cool way to end my singing career at Exeter.”The concert allowed singers the rare opportunity to listen and support their friends and peers. “It’s always very interesting to listen to other singers, because it’s normally a very individual event so you don’t hear other people unless you are in a choir,” said upper and participant Kevin Xu. “There’s an audience, people clap for each other and are there to watch each other preform. Despite the fact that it’s called a competition, people are supportive.”