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Join us January 30th at 2 PM CST for a livestreamed performance of the finalists for the Society's 2020-21 Career Grants.  Cheer on your favorite as they compete for a range of awards.

• 1st Prize of $2,500
• 2nd Prize of $1,500
• 3rd Prize of $750
• A President's Choice award of $500

• Sarah Mesko (Mezzo-soprano with The Metropolitan Opera)
• Eiki Isomura (Artistic Director of Opera in the Heights)
• Stephen W. Jones (Musical director at Theater Under the Stars, A.D. Players, and more

Finalists

Described by The New York Times as “a bass of true quality, who carries a robust, colorful and ringing sound, displayed his musical taste, honest execution of Handelian ornaments and bel canto filigree, and a solid voice,” bass William Guanbo Su creates visceral and captivating art on the operatic, theatrical, and concert stages.  Mr. Su was a Grand Final Winner at The Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition, and the second prize winner at the Eleanor McCollum Competition at Houston Grand Opera in 2019. He is also the winner of The First Prize in the 2017 Liederkranz Foundation Lieder Competition.

Mary Kettlewell received her B.A. in Music from the University of Missouri and a Masters in Voice from the University of Colorado Boulder. Mary is a passionate performer of both early music and new works, with an equal passion for arts administration. Favorite roles include Adele ( Die Fledermaus), Despina ( Così fan tutte) and Miriam ( The Gospel of Mary Magdalene). Mary looks forward to performing the role of Yum-Yum in Gilbert & Sullivan Austin’s production of The Mikado in June 2022. Ms. Kettlewell currently resides in Austin and works as a Program Assistant at the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Bass-Baritone Joshua Hughes has been lauded for his “lush, rich” voice, "powerful lyricism," and "brilliant vocal range” in a wide variety of repertoire. Hughes has performed G&S operettas and concerts across the country with Young Victorian Theatre, Opera in Concert, Victorian Lyric Opera. Favorite G&S performances include  The Mikado (Ko-Ko), HMS Pinafore (Sir Joseph Porter),  Iolanthe (Lord Chancellor), and  Ruddigore (Sir Ruthven/Robin Oakapple). Hughes has also performed with Hong Kong Disneyland, Dallas Bach Society, Orchestra of New Spain, American Baroque Opera, Shakespeare Dallas, Lyric Stage, Plano Children’s Theatre, and Opera San José. 

Erin McDaniels received her Masters of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Penn State University in 2019. Ms. McDaniels is most known for her Mozart and Gilbert and Sullivan roles including: Fiordiligi ( Cosi fan tutte), Iolanthe ( Iolanthe), Bastienne ( Bastien und Bastienne), Pamina ( Die Zauberflöte), and Josephine ( HMS Pinafore). She also enjoys working with living composers, and has premiered lead roles in three new operas. Ms. McDaniels’ solo sacred repertoire includes Faure’s Requiem, Rutter’s Requiem and Bach BWV 61 Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. She is an active recitalist and enjoys creating unique programs accessible to diverse audiences.

Praised as a “shining and powerful bass-baritone” (Opera Today), Peter Morgan has developed a reputation as an enthralling and dynamic performer, amassing a diverse repertoire performing across the US and Europe. Signature roles include Leporello in Don Giovanni, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, and Colline in La bohéme. Mr. Morgan has also championed new music, recent highlights including Jason and the Argonauts with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lunch Encounter 1929 with The Glimmerglass Festival, and the recent landmark production of The Ghosts of Versailles with L’Opéra Royal de Versailles, which is available to stream on Medici TV.

Soprano Rachel Querreveld has performed across the globe in music theater, operetta, and opera. Credits include Gretchen in The Red Mill by Victor Herbert (College Light Opera Company)  and Gilda in Rigoletto (Classic Lyric Arts). This past year, she made her Carnegie Hall debut in an operatic scenes performance with The Athena Foundation. She has performed in concert alongside Andrea Bocelli, Gloria Estefan, and Rita Moreno. Rachel holds degrees in Operatic Performance from The Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) and the University of Miami, Frost School (B.M.). She teaches voice and piano at Bloomingdale School of Music in Manhattan.

Eric Botto is a tenor from Houston, Texas, currently residing in Gulfport, Mississippi. He earned his Master of Music from the University of Mobile where he performed Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, the Magician in The Consul, and Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe. In March of 2021, Eric will debut the role of Nadir in /kor/ Productions’ Les pêcheurs de perles. Other recent notable performances include both the Vain Man and Lamplighter with First Coast Opera’s The Little Prince, Don Ramiro in Operafestival di Roma’s La Cenerentola, and appearances with Opera Mississippi as Rodolfo in La bohème and Pong in Turandot.

Soprano Leah Brzyski joins Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artist Program this season to sing Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, as well as Santa Fe Opera to cover Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Agave in Corigliano’s opera Lord of Cries. She then makes her international debut at the Beijing Modern Music Festival. Recent roles include Norina with Bel Cantanti Opera, Cendrillon with Opera Ithaca, and Le Rossignol with Yale Opera. In 2020 Ms. Brzyski won 1st Place in the Grand Junction Symphony Competition and the Dorothy-Lincoln Smith Competition, and was a District Winner of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions.

Baritone Blake Denson, praised for his “captivating dramatic interpretations" with “a striking upper register “and "a sound that boomed to the back of the house” (Opera Wire), is a native of Paducah, Kentucky. This past year Mr. Denson was named a Grand Finalist winner of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Recently Mr. Denson has been a finalist in the Opera Mississippi Competition, SAS Performance Competition, NOA Vocal Competition, and Premiere Opera Competition. Mr. Denson currently is a Studio Artist in the prestigious Houston Grand Opera Studio, and is an alumnus of Rice University and the University of Kentucky.