Vocal Arts Program to Become the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses
[Boston, MA – June 10, 2019] Recognizing a high degree of achievement in and a commitment to vocal arts, the Handel and Haydn Society today announced the recipients of the 2019 Vocal Arts Program Awards. Presented annually by the H+H Education Committee, six musicians who are members or alumni of the Vocal Arts Program were awarded scholarships between $500 and $3,000.
“Each of these students has shown an immense dedication to their craft, spending years developing their talent in the Vocal Arts Program,” said David Snead, President and CEO of Handel and Haydn Society. “It is incredibly rewarding to see these young men and women using the skills they learned working with H+H.”
Named in honor of Handel and Haydn Society Governor Barbara E. Maze, who was instrumental in creating the Vocal Arts Program, the Barbara E. Maze Award for Musical Excellence extends the Handel and Haydn Society’s support with a $3,000 scholarship to an outstanding VAP alumnus who intends to continue professional vocal instruction. The 2019 recipient of the Barbara E. Maze Award for Musical Excellence is Annina Hsieh. Hsieh is currently pursuing a master’s in vocal performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a 2012 graduate of the Vocal Arts Program.
Named in the memory of a member of the Handel and Haydn Society Board who voiced passionate opinions about the Society’s responsibility to the community and children in particular, the Candace MacMillen Achtmeyer Award extends the Handel and Haydn Society’s support with a $2,000 cash award to an outstanding high school senior who has participated for at least two years in the Vocal Arts Program. The 2019 recipient of the Candace MacMillen Achtmeyer Award is Kerrigan Bigelow, a senior at North Andover High School. Bigelow will attend The Juilliard School in New York City in the fall to continue her studies in voice.
Named in memory of a Handel and Haydn Society Vocal Arts Program alumna who passed away in 2011 after battling a terminal illness, the Evangelyna Etienne Scholarship Award extends a $1000 award to a current or former Vocal Arts Program student between the ages of 16 and 24 who is passionately connecting with the community through music. The 2019 recipient of the Evangelyna Etienne Award is Victoria Andrews, a senior at Westford Academy. Andrews will attend Middlebury College in Vermont in the fall where she will major in environmental science and a minor in music.
In addition to those named above, the 2019 Vocal Arts Program Achievement Award recipients are:
- Juliette Kaoudji, a 2016 graduate of the Vocal Arts Program. Kaoudji studies with Carole Haber at the New England Conservatory where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance.
- Neal Krishna, a senior at Winchester High School who studies with Corey Hart in the Handel and Haydn High School Soloists Program. Krishna will begin his studies in the University of Connecticut Special Program in Medicine this fall.
- Molly Schwall, a senior at Hingham High School who studies with D’Anna Fortunato in the Handel and Haydn High School Soloists Program. Schwall will attend the University of Michigan to study choral music education.
The Vocal Arts Program provides vocal training and choral performance opportunities for talented singers ages 8-18. The students advance through six ensembles based on age and experience. All students participate in musicianship classes that focus on the development of sight-singing, aural skills, and music literacy. Later this month, the Vocal Arts Program will become the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses and will expand its programming to include the New Voices choir, featuring education for students starting in the second grade.
Prospective choral members can register for auditions for the 2019-20 season at www.handelandhaydn.org/education/.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is internationally acclaimed for its performances of Baroque and Classical music. Based in Boston, H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 50,000 listeners each year with a nine concert subscription series at Symphony Hall and other leading venues, in addition to a robust program of intimate events in museums, schools, and community centers. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Harry Christophers, the ensemble embraces historically informed performance, bringing classical music to life with the same immediacy it had the day it was written. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, H+H also provides engaging, accessible, and broadly inclusive music education to thousands of children each year. Founded in Boston in 1815, H+H is among the oldest continuously performing classical music ensembles in the United States, and is unique for its longevity, capacity for reinvention, and distinguished history of premieres. For more information, visit handelandhaydn.org.
Pictured: Victoria Andrews, Annina Hsieh, Molly Schwall, Kerrigan Bigelow, & Neal Krishna
Photo: Alex Avery