The finalists of the Kosciuszko Foundation’s 2018 Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition took the stage of Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College on 4 November to compete for generous monetary awards and special prizes. All singers performed their own selections as well as the those chosen by the esteemed panel of judges during the first half of the program. The judges convened during intermission, after which the following awards were pronounced:

  • 1st Prize ($8,000): ALEKSANDRA NOWAKOWSKI, soprano
  • 2nd Prize ($5,000): HUBERT ZAPIÓR, baritone
  • 3rd Prize ($3,000): WOOYOUNG YOON, tenor

Other special prizes, including airfare to the 10th International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Warsaw and performance opportunities around the world, were also awarded. For a full listing, see www.kfsembrich.org.

The Kosciuszko Foundation Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition was established in 1968 to encourage young singers to study the repertoire of Polish composers. The competition honors Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich Kochanska, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1883 and founded the vocal programs at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute.

[Sources: correspondence, thekf.org, kfsembrich.org]