THREE ARTICLES IN THE BELGIAN PRESS ABOUT SUMMERFEST EUROPE ACTIVITIES These three articles were printed in the regional Belgian paper L Avenir, along with many photos, and relate to: 1) A review of a promotional concert given by an alumnus of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh s SummerFest Young Artist Program in support of a new international venture: SummerFest Europe and its new international voice competition in Verviers 2) A preview of the SummerFest Europe International Voice Competition 3) A review of the competition Printed on 12.9.13 in the Belgian newspaper: L Avenir (for French original see below)
The organizers of the international opera singing contest Verviers, in its new incarnation. VERVIERS Boosting a young operatic career with a summer stay in Pittsburgh is the prize of the new international singing competition in Verviers. The new singing competition created by Summerfest Europe is on track, launched by Julian Todd, President, and Councilwoman for Culture Aurélia Luypaerts. This initiative comes about thanks to the connection of this former director of Shur-Lok Aerospace Fasteners with a former classmate at Cambridge, Jonathan Eaton, who became director of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. The Opera Theater is an American company that has existed for 35 years giving opera performances in Pittsburgh and on tour across the U.S. and in Germany. In 2012, Mr. Eaton organized a summer festival with associated intensive training and performing programs for young artists, along with a voice competition held each fall. The next Pittsburgh festival, SummerFest, will be held in Pittsburgh July 11 to 27 2014. The young artists accepted into this program benefit from training from older and more experienced professionals with top quality instruction. As part of the program they are eligible for lead roles in productions that the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh presents. Convinced of the importance of the singing tradition of Verviers and aware of the similarities between two these two industrial cities of the nineteenth century, the American company has chosen to collaborate with the Belgian team to implement the project in Verviers. This new international opera singing contest is open to singers of both sexes, Belgian or foreign, maximum age 35, who will present five vocal selections to a jury of five specialists which will include Joseph Gilet, Director of the Conservatory Verviers, and Jonathan Eaton, General Director of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh since 1999. The competition will take place in public in the main hall of the conservatory, with a capacity of 150 seats, on Thursday, December 19 at 10am for the semifinals, and Friday, December 20 at noon for the finals. Half of the 50 candidates are selected first on the basis of a CD recording to participate in live auditions. Twenty-five winners will then meet in the semi-finals, and eight in the finals. Four winners will then go next summer to Pittsburgh, all expenses paid, to further their training with this prestigious organization. Applications must be received by mail to the Committee Secretariat Summerfest Europe, Rue de France -36 in Verviers. Full competition rules are available on www.summerfest.eu. Lætitia.contino @ verviers.be 087325211
SECOND ARTICLE Printed on12.9.13 in the Belgian newspaper: L Avenir (For French original see below) VERVIERS- A new international voice competition Made in the USA Verviers is developing a cultural partnership with the U.S. city of Pittsburgh. This former world capital of steel and coal has become a model for economic
restructuring - focusing particularly on culture! The competition in Verviers is looking for talented young singers to join the SummerFest Young Artists Program, a prestigious training and performance program at the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh (USA). A new non-profit organizatin, SummerFest Europe, is organizing this impressive competition on 19 and 20 December in Verviers at the Conservatoire. Admission is free. For more details see: www.summerfest.eu THIRD ARTICLE Printed on 12.21.13 in the Belgian newspaper: L Avenir
VERVIERS - Amelia Jardon will go to sing in the USA New voice competition sees this singer from Verviers win a great opportunity to go to the USA
Top quality voice competition Launch is a success for the voice competition of Verviers, which attracted candidates of great distinction from many countries This first edition of the voice competition of SummerFest Europe was a veritable master stroke with an international cultural dimension This grand Verviers premiere is a European response to the annual competition held in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, and it attracted a total of 22 semi-finalists to the main hall of the Conservatory of Verviers from some of the most prestigious conservatories around the world. Sixteen women and six men, among them thirteen Belgians, one French woman, two Japanese, five Chinese and a Pole, whose average age was 26, competed before a jury of eminent specialists. These were the baritone Armand Battel, Artistic Director of the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh Jonathan Eaton, the coloratura soprano Annie Frantz, Joseph Gilet the Director of the Conservatory of Verviers, and Michelle Rohe.
After their first appearances at the semi-finals on Thursday afternoon, only eight candidates remained to sing for the grand finale on Friday at the end of the afternoon. These eight candidates remained after a selection process made hard because of the exceptional level of each singer, as was unanimously acknowledged by the jury, who found it extremely difficult to allocate the prizes. The finalists. all competed to take part in an ambitious young artists program for professional development in the art of opera in the USA, following the model of an existing competition and Young Artists Program in the States, and similar to other competitions in Germany. This Verviers version was realized with a stratospherically high level of piano accompaniment according to the director, Joseph Gilet. There is no doubt that the competition will be remounted next year.
Amelia Jardon among the winners She is one of the four winners who will go for the next summer season to Pittsburgh. She is Amelia Jardon, a local singer, daughter of the conductor Guido Jardon, and she was the only woman chosen to make the trip. She will be accompanied to America on this extraordinary opportunity by Pierre Drehet from Namur, and by Xhiaozhong Wang from China, who has studied most notably with Marcel Vanaud in Brussels. An exceptional career opportunity in the USA
Four prizes were allocated to the winners of this first competition. Each prize consists of a return flight from Belgium to Pittsburgh in the USA and accommodation with a family, as well as the costs of tuition to participate in the young artist program of this prestigious American institution in Pittsburgh. In addition the prize includes a secondary solo role in the productions of SummerFest 2014, as well as the possibility to participate in auditions for a major solo role in the same festival. By all accounts this is a major career opportunity for each of these young competition winners. French originals Printed on 12.9.13 in the Belgian newspaper: L Avenir VERVIERS - Booster une jeune carrière lyrique par un séjour estival à Pittsburgh: c est le projet du nouveau concours international de chant de Verviers.< Le concours de chant SummerFest Europe est sur les rails, à l initiative de Julian Todd, son président, et de l échevine de la Culture Aurélia Luypaerts. On doit en effet aux contacts de cet ancien directeur de Shur-Lok à Petit Rechain avec son ancien condisciple de Cambridge devenu directeur à Pittsburgh la mise en œuvre de cette opportunité. L Opera Théâtre Pittsburgh est une compagnie américaine qui produit depuis 35 ans des spectacles d opéra en tournée à travers les USA et en Allemagne. Depuis 2012, il organise un festival d été auquel sont associés des programmes intensifs pour jeunes artistes, et un concours de chant lyrique qui se tient l automne précédent. Le prochain festival à Pittsburgh se tiendra du 11 au 27 juillet prochains. Les jeunes intégrés dans cette structure bénéficient sur place d une formation encadrée par de vrais professionnels, souvent plu âgés et expérimentés, et d un encadrement technique haut de gamme. À l issue de leur formation, ils peuvent prétendre à des rôles de premier plan dans certains spectacles de l Opéra-Théâtre de Pittsburgh. Convaincus de l importance de l histoire lyrique de Verviers, et des similitudes entre deux cités industrielles de pointe au XIXe siècle, les organisateurs américains sont donc partie prenante dans le projet mis en œuvre à Verviers. En clair, cette nouvelle version du concours international de chant lyrique est ouverte aux chanteurs des deux sexes, belges ou étrangers, âgés de 35 ans maximum, qui devront présenter cinq œuvres au jury de cinq spécialistes dans lequel on retrouve Joseph Gilet, directeur du Conservatoire de Verviers, et Jonathan Eaton, directeur général de l Opéra Théâtre de Pittsburgh depuis 1999.
Le concours aura lieu en séance publique dans la salle du conservatoire, d une capacité de 150 places, le jeudi 19 décembre à 10h pour la demi-finale et le vendredi 20 décembre dès midi pour la finale. La moitié des 50 candidats retenus sur base d un CD participera aux auditions. Huit lauréats se retrouveront en demi-finale et quatre en finale. Ces quatre lauréats s en iront l été prochain à Pittsburgh, tous frais payés, pour peaufiner leur formation dans cette prestigieuse structure. La demande doit parvenir par courrier postal recommandé au secrétariat du comité de SummerFest Europe, rue de France-36 à Verviers. Le règlement complet du concours est disponible sur www.summerfestival.be Lætitia.contino@verviers.be 087 325 211 Printed on 12.9.13 in the Belgian newspaper: L Avenir Un concours de chant «made in USA» VERVIERS Verviers a choisi de tisser un partenariat culturel avec la ville américaine de Pittsburgh. Cette ancienne capitale mondiale de l acier et du charbon est devenue un exemple en matière de reconversion économique. Notamment en misant sur la culture! À la recherche de jeunes talents destinés à intégrer un prestigieux programme de formation et de représentations à l Opéra-Théâtre de Pittsburgh (EU), l ASBL SummerFest Europe organise, les 19 et 20 décembre prochains, un grand concours de chant lyrique. Et c est à Verviers qu est organisé ce concours, au Conservatoire. Entrée libre www.summerfest.eu.