The semi-finals of the 2010 WMC McLellan Competition for Solo Performance with Orchestra were held at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on Saturday, March 17th. Adjudicators were John Greer, James Manishen and Jasper Wood, with Jury Chair, Holly Harris.

The Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg is pleased to announce that the following were selected as finalists:

Madeline Hildebrand, piano
Jennifer Sproule, mezzo-soprano
Jessica Strong, soprano

See below for bios and competition repertoire.

The public is invited to hear these three finalists perform in the Final Competition Concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at 7.30 pm on Friday, April 20th, 2012, at Jubilee Place Auditorium, Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, 180 Riverton Avenue, Winnipeg.

The finalists will be placed First, Second and Third by a different set of adjudicators, and will be awarded prizes of $10,000, $6,000 and $4,000 respectively. The Competition Concert will be followed by the Award Ceremony, and a punch reception, when the audience will have an opportunity to meet and congratulate the winners.

The final concert will be a wonderful conclusion to another very successful competition, which has identified three exceptionally talented musicians to perform with the WSO. Please support these young artists by joining us for this exciting event.

FINAL COMPETITION CONCERT WITH THE WSO
Followed by the Award Ceremony and Reception
7.30 p.m. Friday, April 20, 2012
Jubilee Place Auditorium, MBCI, 180 Riverton Avenue
Tickets $20 from McNally Robinson (credit cards accepted),
or at the door (cash or cheque only) / Students $5 at the door only

Please join the WMC and the WSO in supporting these young artists at the final competition event. A thrilling finish to an exciting competition!

Madeline Hildebrand, pianist : performing Piano Concerto No. 1 - Prokofiev

Madeline Hildebrand is presently a Master of Music candidate at the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Jane Coop. Previous to that she studied with Judy Kehler Siebert and Rei Hotoda, graduating with a degree in Piano Performance from the University of Manitoba where she also earned the prestigious Millennium Scholarship. A four-time scholarship winner at Manitoba’s Provincial Festival piano finals, Madeline has accumulated prizes in the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers’ competition, the Winnipeg Music Festival finals, the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg and through U of M’s Faculty of Music, among others. In May 2007 Madeline represented Canada in the classical division at the eastern European Cultural Arts in Sibiu, Romania. Other highlights include her role as accompanist with Canada’s National Youth Choir in 2010, her participation in the Orford and Banff Summer Arts Festivals, and the Icicle Creek Piano Festival in Washington where the studied with John Perry, Andre Laplante, James Anagnoson, Gilbert Kalish, and Christina Dahl.

Jennifer Sproule, mezzo-soprano : performing arias by Bizet, Mozart, Puccini, Meyerbeer, Rossini

Originally from Winnipeg, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Sproule studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music, completed a Post Baccalaureate Opera Apprenticeship at the University of Manitoba, and studied privately with Tracy Dahl. Now Alberta-based, Jennifer is in her second year of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Development Program. Jennifer’s credits include Kate in Madama Butterfly (Manitoba Opera), Lady Angela in Patience (G&S Winnipeg), Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte (Calgary Opera), Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor (Calgary Opera), Meg March in Little Women (Banff Centre) and Mrs. Nolan in The Medium (The Little Opera Company). Concert performances include guest artist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Civic Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony and Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Bow valley Chorus. Upcoming engagements for 2012 include parts in The Magic Flute, Ariodante, and La Boheme, Beethoven’s Mass in C major, The Confession Stone song cycle, and guest performer aboard Regent’s next Opera Cruise.

Jessica Strong, soprano : performing arias by Verdi, Mozart, Massenet, Puccini

Jessica Strong has been hailed as “a confident and accomplished soprano [with a voice that shows] a powerful top, a seductive vibrato and assured coloratura.” (Opera Canada). She recently completed a Master of Music from the University of Toronto Opera division, where she performed a variety of operatic roles. In concert she has appeared with the Aldeburgh Connection, The Musical Offering, and with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as soloist in both Carmina Burana and The Passion of Joan of Arc (The New Music Festival). Currently, Ms. Strong is a member of the emerging Artist Program with Calgary Opera. In addition to covering the roles of Nedda in Pagliacci and Mimi in La Boheme, she will perform the role of Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodante. Ms. Strong was the winner of the 2008 Rose Bowl, Reg Hugo Memorial Trophy at the Winnipeg Music Festival, and the National Music Festival. She is thrilled to be attending the Music Academy of the West this summer, where she will cover Anne Trulove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.

Web site: www.womensmusicalclubofwpg.ca / Phone: 944-9431