Saratoga Voices celebrated the next generation of vocal talent during its 29th Annual Vocal Scholarship Competition, held at Burnt Hills United Methodist Church. High school seniors from across the Greater Capital Region competed for scholarships recognizing excellence in vocal performance.
First place and a $1,500 scholarship were awarded to Tallis Wild of Saratoga Springs High School. Jackson Majewski of Shaker High School and Linden Wall of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School each received second-place scholarships of $1,000.
Wild studies voice with Matthew Vitti. He is also a violinist and plans to continue studies in both voice and violin at Indiana University Bloomington’s Jacobs School of Music. There he will pursue historical vocal performance with Thomas Cooley, the internationally acclaimed tenor who sang the title role of Handel’s Judas Maccabeus in Saratoga Voices’ 2021 performance at United Preservation Hall.
Majewski, a student of Michael Lotano, will pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre at SUNY Cortland. He hopes to build a career in the performing arts and eventually establish a youth theater company that encourages children to participate in the arts.
Wall, who also studies with Michael Lotano, will enter the Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Musical Theatre at SUNY Geneseo. His goal is to become a professional musical theater performer and later teach voice to young singers, inspiring them as his own teachers inspired him.
Stewart’s Shops generously supported the program with a $600 contribution toward gift certificates, with each participating finalist receiving a $50 award in recognition of their performance, excluding the first- and second-place winners.
The competition was judged by Noah Palmer, Artistic Director of Saratoga Voices, and Mary Frances Miller, a voice teacher and former faculty member at Buffalo State University and the Community Music School of Buffalo.
The annual Vocal Scholarship Competition is a cornerstone of Saratoga Voices’ community outreach program, supporting talented young singers as they pursue higher education and careers in music.
For more information about Saratoga Voices and its programs, visit www.saratogavoices.org.