Winners Announced of 6th Annual Hal Leonard Vocal Competition
MILWAUKEE - June 21, 2016 - Hal Leonard, the world leader in vocal music, sponsors the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition for young classical and theatre singers, comprised entirely of YouTube video entries. There were more than 1000 entries in the 2016 competition in two divisions: Art Song and Musical Theatre, with four age categories for each, children through college undergraduates. Hal Leonard gave away $10,000 in cash prizes and gift certificates to encourage singers to continue their vocal studies, and to recognize the good work of voice teachers.
First Place Winners for 2016 in Art Song:
-College/University undergraduates (ages 18-23): Clara Plestis from The Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University
-High School Voices (ages 16-18): Benjamin Wenzelberg from Tenafly, New Jersey
-Early Teen Voices (ages 13-15): Tyler Bouque from Troy, Michigan
-Children's Voices (ages 12 and under): Aliyah Douglas from Oro Valley, Arizona.
First Place Winners for 2016 in Musical Theatre:
-College/Young Adult Voices (ages 18-23): Jack Kay from The Julliard School
-High School Voices (ages 16-18): Lee Metaxa from Cedar Park, Texas
-Early Teen Voices (ages 13-15): Chloe Hayes from Brazil, Indiana
-Children's Voices (ages 12 and under): Alexa Reeves from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Rick Walters, Vice-President of Classical & Vocal Publications at Hal Leonard, states, "Unlike almost every other music competition, there is no entry fee or travel cost to an audition site. Singers from all over the U.S. and Canada can compete with others in their age group and view the videos online. We believe this to be the first legitimate vocal competition to be held entirely on the Internet. The feedback from students, teachers and parents has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Teachers tell us that no matter what the outcome, their students love participating in the competition."
The deadline for entry for the next Hal Leonard Vocal Competition is February 1, 2017. The rules, required repertoire and prizes, as well as top placing videos for 2016 and previous years may be found at
halleonard.com/vocalcomp.