{"id":111506,"date":"2025-02-05T14:45:34","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=111506"},"modified":"2025-02-06T07:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T12:00:01","slug":"scoop-toronto-city-opera-announces-eight-finalists-second-annual-macina-voice-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/02\/05\/scoop-toronto-city-opera-announces-eight-finalists-second-annual-macina-voice-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"THE SCOOP | Toronto City Opera Announces Eight Finalists For Second Annual Macina Voice Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_111507\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-111507\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-111507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-NEWS-2025-02-05T143807.980.jpg\" alt=\"Macina Voice Competition Finalists (L-R) Top: Alex Hetherington \u2013 Mezzo-Soprano; Matthew Li \u2013 Bass; Lauren Margison \u2013 Soprano; Christian Masucci-Facchini \u2013 Countertenor. Bottom: Sara Schabas \u2013 Soprano; ; Paulina Swierczek \u2013 Soprano; Spencer VanDellen \u2013 Tenor; McKenzie Warriner \u2013 Soprano\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-NEWS-2025-02-05T143807.980.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-NEWS-2025-02-05T143807.980-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-NEWS-2025-02-05T143807.980-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-NEWS-2025-02-05T143807.980-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-111507\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Macina Voice Competition Finalists (L-R) Top: Alex Hetherington \u2013 Mezzo-Soprano; Matthew Li \u2013 Bass; Lauren Margison \u2013 Soprano; Christian Masucci-Facchini \u2013 Countertenor. Bottom: Sara Schabas \u2013 Soprano; ; Paulina Swierczek \u2013 Soprano; Spencer VanDellen \u2013 Tenor; McKenzie Warriner \u2013 Soprano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Toronto City Opera has announced the eight finalists who have been selected to compete in the second annual Macina Voice Competition. The event will take place on February 22, 2025 as a showcase for Canadian young opera singers.<\/p>\n<p>The eight competitors were selected from 110 video submissions from across Canada. They\u2019ll be competing for cash prizes totalling $5,000, along with performance opportunities, in front of a live audience.<\/p>\n<h3>The Competition<\/h3>\n<p>The Macina Voice Competition was established in 2024 to honour TCO\u2019s longtime Artistic Director, Giuseppe Macina. It celebrates and continues his commitment to young artists, and providing them with performance opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiuseppe Macina inspired and mentored many young talents, helping them hone their craft and find their voices on stage,\u201d says <strong>John Minardi<\/strong>, Board President and long-time TCO Chorus member.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis competition continues his legacy by offering a platform for the next generation of opera stars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The list of <strong>finalists<\/strong> includes<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alex Hetherington, Mezzo Soprano<\/li>\n<li>Matthew Li, Bass<\/li>\n<li>Lauren Margison, Soprano<\/li>\n<li>Christian Masucci-Facchini, Counter Tenor<\/li>\n<li>Sara Schabas, Soprano<\/li>\n<li>Paulina Swierczek, Soprano<\/li>\n<li>Spencer VanDellen, Tenor<\/li>\n<li>McKenzie Warriner, Soprano<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each finalist will perform two arias chosen to showcase their artistry, technical skills, dramatic interpretation, and stage presence. The <strong>judges<\/strong> include a panel of industry professionals that include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adrianne Pieczonka, Soprano &amp; Chair in Voice, Glenn Gould School<\/li>\n<li>Anna Theodosakis, Stage Director, Canadian Opera Company<\/li>\n<li>Rebecca Townsend, Artist Manager, Stratagem Artists<\/li>\n<li>Sandra Horst, Chorus Master, Canadian Opera Company &amp; Program Director, UofT Opera<\/li>\n<li>Jennifer Tung, Artistic Director, Toronto City Opera<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For the audience, after the competitors have sung, and the jury is deliberating, the Toronto City Opera Chorus will perform classic opera choruses. The audience can also vote for the Audience Prize.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The finals take place on February 22 at 2 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer. Find tickets and more information [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tickettailor.com\/events\/torontocityopera\/1444309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Toronto City Opera has announced the eight finalists who have been selected to compete in the second annual Macina Voice Competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":111507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,17,39,43,63],"tags":[40132,41194,41720,16586],"yst_prominent_words":[6871,6886,6640,20049,17686],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-NEWS-2025-02-05T143807.980.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-t0u","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111506"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111506"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111521,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111506\/revisions\/111521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111506"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=111506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}