Bel Canto Chorus Announces Winner of Annual Regional Artists Competition

April 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Bel Canto Chorus is pleased to announce the winner of its 23rd Annual Regional Artists Competition. Ten finalists competed on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, Wis.

Soprano Laura Strickling of Hickory Hills, Ill. has been named the winner of this year’s competition. Strickling won a $1,000 prize and a solo engagement with Bel Canto Chorus for its 2012-2013 season.

“It is such an honor to have been chosen as the winner of the 2012 Bel Canto Chorus Regional Artists Competition,” said Stickling. “I was inspired by the talent and artistry of my fellow competitors. I look forward to singing the Brahms ‘Requiem’ next Spring in an exciting collaboration with Bel Canto Chorus and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.”

Judges for the competition were Richard Hynson, Music Director for Bel Canto Chorus; Michelle Hynson, Assistant Conductor for Bel Canto Chorus; Dr. James Kinchen, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Music Director of the Milwaukee Choristers; and William Florescu, General Director of the Florentine Opera Company of Milwaukee.

“In addition to possessing a uniquely beautiful voice which she uses with sophisticated skill, Ms. Strickling projects a presence on stage that is at once commanding and vulnerable,” said Hynson. “She performs with emotional intensity, imbuing her singing with drama and pathos.”

The Bel Canto Regional Artists Competition was established to encourage and support singers who reside in or originate from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio. Previous winners of the competition have gone on to perform with nationally recognized organizations throughout the United States and Europe, including the Metropolitan Opera.

Laura Strickling has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Galapagos Art Space, Trinity Church on Wall Street, the Philadelphia Lieder Society, Dankhaus Chicago, and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. In January, she performed in Weill Music Institute’s 2012 Professional Training Program at Carnegie Hall. Strickling holds degrees from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (M.M. in Voice) and the Moody Bible Institute (B.M. in Sacred Music). A Chicago native, Strickling is an avid traveler, and recently returned from living in Fez, Morocco, where she studied classical Arabic.

Now in its 81st year, Bel Canto Chorus is Milwaukee’s premier independent choral organization. Founded in 1931, Bel Canto is committed to enriching the lives of its audiences and singing members through the outstanding live presentation of high quality choral music. For more information visit http://www.belcanto.org.