Idaho Mountain Express: The ‘Voices’

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The ‘Voices’

Sun Valley Opera sings praises of contest winners

By KAREN LINDELL
Express Staff Writer

From left, Sun Valley Opera President Frank Meyer poses at the company’s Biannual International Vocal Competition in Seattle with two of the winners, soprano Shadan Saul and bass-baritone Rhys Lloyd Talbot, who also performed in Sun Valley. Courtesy photo

    Young singing talent! An affable host! Audience voting! It must be … the Sun Valley Opera Biannual International Vocal Competition.
   The 2014 contest, a classical alternative to the pop glitz of “The Voice,” took place in Seattle on Aug. 28. Four up-and-coming professional singers, selected from about 60 international applicants, competed for cash prizes and an Audience Choice Award.
   The competition was so close this year that the judges awarded two first-place prizes, to bass-baritone Rhys Lloyd Talbot of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and tenor Tyler Nelson of Orem, Utah. Second- and third-place honors went to soprano Shadan Saul of Vancouver, British Columbia, and mezzo-soprano Brooke Larimer of Brooklyn, New York.
   Each contestant sang an opera aria and a Broadway tune. Prizes ranged from $300 to $3,000.
   Sun Valley Opera, which hosts concerts and vocal education programs in the Wood River Valley, sponsors the competition, but for several reasons — such as availability of judges, and easy-access to an airport — the live performance takes place in Seattle.
   “The goal of the competition is to discover and support tomorrow’s opera stars,” said Frank Meyer, Sun Valley Opera president and co-founder.
Previous competition winners have gone on to prestigious opera careers, including Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and tenor Nathaniel Peake.
Contestants must be professionals starting out in their careers (not students), no older than 35. Finalists are selected based on submitted performance CDs, resumes, references and other criteria.
   At age 23, Talbot was this year’s youngest finalist.
   “It’s very rare you have a bass-baritone win at age 23,” said Meyer, who served as master of ceremonies in Seattle. “Typically their voices develop a little later, but he is exceptional.”
   On Aug. 30, Talbot and Saul flew to Sun Valley to perform a concert at a private home.
   Soprano Saul said she didn’t mind the flight to Sun Valley so soon after the competition.
   “Sun Valley is so quiet and has a wonderful energy to it,” she said. “All the people we met were extremely kind.”
   That’s good news for Meyer, who hopes Saul doesn’t forget Sun Valley if — when — she becomes an opera star.

Opera: A Look Ahead
Sun Valley Opera offers concerts and educational programs throughout the year. Next up is the 2014-15 season of Met Live HD concerts, featuring live broadcasts of Metropolitan Opera performances from New York to cinemas nationwide, including the Big Wood Cinemas in Hailey. The series opens with Verdi’s “Macbeth” at 11 a.m. Oct. 11. For details, visit www.sunvalleyopera.com.

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