Distinguished Concerts International New York & New York Opera Studio Congratulate Baritone STEPHEN LANCASTER and Mezzo-soprano TERESA BUCHHOLZ
Nico and Carol Castel congratulate male winner Stephen Lancaster. Female winner Teresa Buchholz is at far left.
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) and the New York Opera Studio (NYOS) are delighted to announce the winners of the 3rd edition of the Nico Castel International Master Singer Competition. Mezzo-soprano Teresa Buchholz and baritone Stephen Lancaster were declared the female and male “Master Singers” at the conclusion of the finalist concert which took place on Monday, April 1 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Eight candidates performed one oratorio selection and one opera aria each on the evening’s concert.
“This year’s finalists were all superb singers,” commented jury member Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Co-Founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, “Our two winners set themselves apart for their excellent performances in both oratorio and opera genres.” Buchholz performed “Laudamus te” from Bach’s Mass in B minor for her oratorio selection and Meyerbeer’s “Nobles Seigneurs, Salut!” from Les Huguenots for her opera selection, while Lancaster performed “Estuans Interius” from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and “L’Orage s’est Calmé” from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers. The two Master Singers were awarded $1,000 each in addition to a soloist role in a major choral masterwork with orchestra in a future DCINY season. Lancaster was also declared the evening’s “Audience Favorite” as determined by audience vote via text message at intermission.
Also on the Finals Jury were legendary artist Nico Castel, conductor Paul Nadler; conductor and pianist Lucy Arner; pianist Tom Muraco; and soprano and language coach Jennifer Ringo Conlon.
Teresa Buchholz’s recent engagements include Bloch’s Sacred Service with the Israel Philharmonic, Mozart’s Requiem at Alice Tully Hall, and Mercedes in Carmen with Opera Roanoke. Her performance of Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle at the Bard Music Festival was deemed “gorgeously sung” by The New York Times.
Baritone Stephen Lancaster has performed the Brahms Requiem, Fauré Requiem, and Carmina Burana; and the roles of Count Almaviva, Schaunard, and Morales, and was the central region winner in the 2012 NATS Artist Awards. He will record a CD of French mélodies with Martin Katz (Centaur Records) this fall.
For more information on the Nico CastelInternational Master Singer Competition please see: http://www.dciny.org/competition.html