Three local high school seniors were named the winners of the Chester County Choral Society's 27th Excellence in Vocal Performance Competition, held on March 16 at the Exton Baptist Church. The contest was open to high school seniors who reside, attend high school or study music in Chester County.
The first-place winner of the competition was Sofia Bobrysheva, a mezzo-soprano who is a senior at Downingtown East High School. The runners-up included baritone Francis "Frankie" Jacquette, a senior at Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester, and Elana Babbitt, a soprano who attends Great Valley High School.
Sofia, who is a vocal student of Kim Kronenberg Russell of West Chester, has also studied voice, piano and music theory at the Royal Canadian Conservatory of Music. Sofia is a Tri-M Music Honor Society member and sings in her school's Masterworks Choir. She has placed third in the alto II category at the 2019 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Regional Choral Festival. She plans to attend West Chester University in the fall to pursue a dual degree in voice performance and music education.
Frankie, who has participated in the 2018 PMEA District and Regional Choral Festivals, also plays flute, piccolo, tuba, French horn and trombone for the school's marching and concert bands. He performed in high school musicals, playing the role of a mission band singer in "Guys and Dolls" and Mr. Banks in "Mary Poppins." Frankie will attend the University of Delaware in the fall to study music and mathematics and will be a member of the Marching Blue Hens.
Elana studies voice in Russell's studio as well. Her past roles at local theaters and at school have included Reno Sweeney in "Anything Goes," Maria in "The Sound of Music," Mayzie LaBird in "Seussical," Dorothy Brown in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and Hedy LaRue in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Elana plans to attend college to study musical theater.
Sue Sutter, event chair, explained that students are required to apply for the competition in advance and provide a reference from a vocal coach or high school choral teacher. On the day of the competition, students are welcome to use an accompanist provided by the choral society or bring one of their own.
"They sing one compulsory piece, so everyone sings the same piece in their vocal key," explained Sutter. "They bring one classical number of their choice and one musical theater piece of their choice, and they sing to a panel of three judges."
This year, the competition was adjudicated by Courtney Capriotti, Teresa Moyer and Tom Sitzler. "At the end of the auditions, our judges do the tallies and then I notify the first-place winner and two runners-up," said Sutter, noting choral members also attend the competition to escort students to the rehearsal rooms and turn music pages, among other duties.
Sophia will receive $1,000, a certificate of achievement and an award plaque. The runners-up will receive $500 each and a certificate of merit. The awards will be presented at Chester County Choral Society's spring concert, led by Gary P. Garletts. The concert, themed "Favorite Opera Choruses," will be held on Sunday, April 28, at 3:30 p.m. at Church of the Good Samaritan, 212 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli.
The late Honorable Charles B. Smith, who passed away in September 2018, sponsored the vocal competition and provided the scholarship money. "This year, we are dedicating the spring concert to Charlie Smith, our benefactor who has sponsored the scholarship since 2010," Sutter said, noting that Smith was a baritone who sang at the Church of the Good Samaritan. "He felt that encouraging young singers was a good thing to do."
All three finalists will perform at the concert. "The runners-up will sing one (number) of their choice, and the winner will sing both of her audition pieces," Sutter noted.
For more information about the choral society, the vocal competition or the upcoming concert, readers may visit http://www.chescochoral.org.
Leave a Review