TOP PRIZES FROM THE METROPOLITAN OPERA NATIONAL COUNCIL AUDITIONS
In February 2021, Ms. Le Van received top awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions during her first time competing: 1st Place in the Kansas City District (Joyce Castle Award Recipient) and 2nd Place in the Midwestern Region.
Out of 1400 singers throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico, only 600 qualified to compete in the district auditions. 4 advanced out of 20 Kansas City singers to the Midwestern Auditions, and 5 young artists in the Midwestern Region were awarded prizes out of 15 competitors from three districts. The youngest candidate in both of the selective rounds, Le Van was the only representative of my district to secure a prize in the higher level of competition.
Judges included Michael Heaston (Met Opera, artistic administrator), Cory Lippiello (Lyric Opera of Chicago, artistic administrator), Christopher McBeth (Utah Opera, artistic director), Peter McClintock (Metropolitan Opera, stage director), John Churchwell (San Francisco Opera, Head of Music Staff), and Heidi Grant Murphy (Metropolitan Opera, soprano).
View the program here: https://www.metopera.org/.../nat.../2.20-full-program-v2.pdf
1st PLACE WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION LEOPOLD BELLAN, FRANCE (95ème édition)
On June 20th, 2021 Ms. Le Van was awarded the “Premier Prix” in the division “Chant Soliste” of the Concours International Léopold Bellan, Paris.
The competition is one of the oldest and most significant in France. Founded in 1926, it has promoted a host of musicians for almost a century in a range of disciplines, recognizing composers such as Messiaen to performers such as the Labèques sisters. 15,000 euros will be distributed to the top winners as well as special prizes, including concert invitations and scholarships.
ROLE DEBUT WITH FESTIVAL THEATER HUDSON
Ms. Le Van makes her role debut next April 2022 in Wagner’s Tannhäuser as the Shepherd ("Frau Holda kam aus dem Berg hervor").
The performances with Festival Theater Hudson in New York will take place on April 14th and 16th.
View the full season announcement here.
ROLE DEBUT WITH INDIANA UNIVERSITY OPERA THEATER
Ms. Le Van has been selected by competitive admission to sing the role of Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff.
Performances take place on Nov. 12, 13, 18, and 19, 2021 at the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington, Indiana.
The creative team includes Marzio Conti, former music director of the Oviedo Filarmonía, director Michael Shell, and set designer Robert O'Hearn who “shaped the aesthetics of opera production for more than 60 years” (Opera News).
ENGAGEMENT FOR THE METROPOLITAN OPERA GUILD CONCERT SERIES — March 16, 2022 (Verdi & the Ingénue)
Le Van has been invited to sing as Nannetta in Act III, Sc. 2 Falstaff as a guest artist of the Metropolitan Opera Guild Concert Series.
Her participation will be part of a four-part lecture featuring the performances of young artists and delivered by Jane Marsh, former Metropolitan soprano and Gold Medalist of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. The topic pertains to “The Evolution of the Ingénue” as reflected through the works of Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, and Stravinsky.
Buy tickets and read the season brochure below:
“In his middle and late periods, Verdi often turned to literature for inspiration. In both Gilda in Rigoletto and Nannetta in Falstaff, the composer offers equally affecting portraits of young girls in love, but the French style of Victor Hugo and the English style of Shakespeare led him to paint these two ingénues with different hues and strokes.”
ABSOLUTE WINNER OF THE DANUBIA TALENTS LISZT INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION (BUDAPEST, HUNGARY)
In August 2021, Le Van received a 98/100 score from the international jury of the Danubia Competition, qualifying as the absolute winner in the highest category (young emerging artists).
The competition is based in Budapest, although the contest was held virtually this year (with over 150 international finalists). Le Van received a generous grant on behalf of the Accademia Internazionale di Musica e Arte and the Hungarian Academy of Rome (Falconieri Palace).
PERFORMANCE WITH The iU PHILHARMONIC ORChESTRA
Recently, Solène Le Van was chosen by composer David Dzubay to perform his work Autumn Rivulets on October 13th, 2021 at the Musical Arts Center of Indiana University. Le Van will interpret the tone poem under the baton of Thomas Wilkins, who currently serves as music director of the Omaha Symphony, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl, and conductor chair at the Boston Symphony. The program will be complemented by two orchestral selections: Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides and Debussy’s La mer.
Commissioned in celebration of Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday in 2019, Autumn Rivulets sets three central texts on the themes of life, death and truth, written by Walt Whitman, Dylan Thomas, and a compendium of authors including John Keats, Mark Twain, and St. Augustine.
Buy tickets or watch the performance from almost anywhere in the world via IUMusicLive.
FUTURE PERFORMANCE — PALM SPRINGS OPERA GUILD CONCERT SERIES — WINTER 2022
After being named a prizewinner of the Pasadena Vocal Competition, Le Van was invited to give a recital at the Coda Art Gallery as a guest artist of the Palm Spings Opera Guild Concert Series in California. The concert will take place on February 23rd, 2022 and consist of arias and duets by Donizetti, Bizet, and Rossini.
ARD COMPETITION IN MUNICH
Solène Le Van has been admitted as a participant in the 70th ARD International Music Competition 2021 in Munich by competitive application. Out of 450 candidates, 75 singers were chosen to represent Korea, Greece, Romania, Finland, Germany. Switzerland, Australia, Great Britain, Poland, Georgia, Belgium, Portugal, China, France, Sweden, Japan, Spain, USA, Ukraine, Venezuela, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia.
The ARD International Music Competition is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. Run under the backing of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, it is held once a year in Munich and acts as a springboard for the careers of exceptional emerging artists. View the full list of participants here: www.br.de/ard-music-competition/participants-and-results/index.html
WINNER OF THE ISE-SHIMA INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION (JAPAN)
The Ise-Shima Art Committee was founded in 2016 to foster mutual understanding between artists in the Shima Peninsula in eastern Japan. Ms. Le Van presented a program of Rossini and Strauss to the jury of the Singing Competition last month and won the 1st place title out of the top 53 prize winners. She shares the award with countertenor Logan Tanner. This marks Le Van’s first competition based in Asia and her first professional activity in Japan since performing at the New National Theater Studio in Tokyo in 2017.
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL CLASSICAL SINGER COMPETITION
Ms. Le Van has been named the 2nd Place Winner of the Classical Singer National Competition in the Emerging Artist / Professional Division (May 2021). Nathan Gunn, Carol Vaness, and Gerald Finley adjucated the final round.
To view the top 3 winners, click here.
RELEASE OF NEW RECORDING COLLABORATION WITH REFERENCE RECORDINGS
“With the composer himself conducting the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and surrounded by a group of peerless soloists, among them soprano Solène Le Van (...) [Serebrier] gives his soloists ample opportunities to excel.”
Reference Recordings presents new recordings of a compendium of nine works of José Serebrier, including four World Premières. The disc features the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Gnessin Percussion Ensemble, Ilia Melikhov (Director), Nadia Shpachenko (piano), Nestor Torres (flute), Gabriel Goñí (flute), Sara Cutler (harp), and Solène Le Van (soprano).
“Very original and complex in its colorful orchestration is Colores Magicos from 1971 (...) The result is a colorful and expressive harp concerto of about 12 minutes, very excitingly performed in this interpretation. ”
GRAMMY®-winning conductor and composer José Serebrier is one of the most-recorded classical artists in history. Born in 1938 in Uruguay of Russian and Polish parents, he has conducted most of the major orchestras around the world. His projects have received thirty-seven GRAMMY® and LATIN GRAMMY® nominations in recent years. This album was produced by Julio Bagué and Mary Megan Peer for Peer-Southern Productions.
Listen to an excerpt of “Colores Mágicos” below, an aleatoric work for soprano, harp, and orchestra.
TOP PRIZEWINNER OF THE SWISS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION
In August 2021, Le Van was honored to accept the 2nd Prize award in the Opera Singer Category from an international competition hosted by the Tiziano Rossetti Academy in Lugano, Switzerland.
WINNER OF THE AMERICAN PRIZE COMPETITION (ART SONG)
Ms. Le Van has been selected as the 1st Place Winner of the Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award, Women in Art Song (June 2021). Her program of Handel, Massenet, Hahn, Strauss, and Duke was given the highest commendation.
The competition adjucated by Metropolitan Opera singers Susanne Mentzer and Sharon Sweet honors the memory of Wagnerian baritone Friedrich Schorr, who commanded the operatic stage between the world wars, and his wife, Virginia Schorr, who taught studio voice at the Manhattan School of Music for nearly fifty years.
The Prize recognizes and rewards the best performances by classically trained vocalists in America, based on submitted applications.
PERFORMANCE WITH THE SOUTH COAST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
As the Grand Finalist of the Young Stars of the Future Competition, Ms. Le Van will perform selections by Rossini, Massenet, Strauss II, and Dove with the South Coast Symphony Orchestra on October 29, 2021 under the baton of Barry Silverman.
“Eight minutes of vocal stamina on display, with impeccable control, a skillful navigation of tempo changes, stunning pianissimo high notes, and an execution of florid notes with accuracy, dynamics, and ease. The Rosina [Le Van] brings to life is truly in the moment experiencing these thrilling emotions for the first time. The cadenzas demonstrate outstanding musical maturity and yet they still come across as innocent and fresh. A lovely ring in the lower register brings weight and substance to her tone, without sounding pressed or affected. The Dove is a moving selection and [Le Van’s] interpretation demonstrates a deep understanding of the text. [Le Van] exude[s] a real sincerity in [her[ performances. Very impressive and masterful.”
TOP PRIZEWINNER OF THE OPERA VIVA ITALIAN ARIA COMPETITION
As a competitor in the Roberto DeSimone Italian Aria Competition based in Verona, Italy, Le Van garnered the 2nd Prize in her division of young artists. Open virtually to an international application pool, the contest was adjucated by Thomas Michael Allen and Darrell Babidge.
“Extraordinary singing with spectacular coloratura, high notes, legato, expression, and stamina. She has a fantastic, powerful middle and low register in lyric repertoire, even after navigating punishing runs and tessitura in Rossini’s works (...) As a colleague who loves great singing, this is a rare and God-given talent.”
WINNER OF THE MUSIC INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIX
Ms. Le Van’s interpretation of Norina’s aria at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Virginia earned her 2nd Place in the Music International Grand Prix Competition (USA/Europe/Australia/Japan). Ms. Le Van represented the West Coast as the 1st place winner of the Los Angeles region semi-finals, where she received a 98/100 score.
“Terrific coloratura facility from top to bottom; a lovely voice that is limpid, flexible, and at the same time full and rich; excellent diction; impressive stamina; characters that are well thought out and defined, beautiful give and take…destined to greatness on stage and an all-around delightful artist.”
WINNER OF THE concours international de musique "Nouvelles étoiles" (FRANCE)
Ms. Le Van was awarded the 1st place title in the 23 to 26-year-old age division (Voice) of the 4th International International Music Competition "Nouvelles étoiles" based in Paris. The jury consisted of professors of the Conservatoire national Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, CRR de Paris, Belgorod State University of Arts and Culture, and the Gnessin State Academy of Music.
AWARD-WINNER OF THE PASADENA VOCAL COMPETITION
Recently, Ms. Le Van was selected as a winner of the Pasadena Vocal Competition during their Grand Finals Broadcast. A Special Encouragement Award Recipient, she was recognized by judges David Bennett (General Director of San Diego Opera), Grant Gershon (Resident Conductor of LA Opera), and Kostis Protopapas (General Director of Opera Santa Barbara) as a "rising star" in the professional world of opera.
CORRECTION: Ms. Le Van was invited to join the Vianden Festival and School in Luxembourg as a young artist and not as a university student, as mistakenly announced in the livestream. She received an undergraduate degree from Princeton, with additional studies at the Royal College of Music in London (First Class Honors with Distinction).
GRAND FINALIST
ORPHEUS VOCAL COMPETITION
In recognition of "characteristics vital to the success of a professional vocalist", Le Van was selected as a Grand Finalist of the Orpheus Vocal Competition and the recipient of an award granted by Mr. and Mrs. Lagard Smith.
AWARD FROM THE CAMILLE COLORATURA COMPETITION
On October 10th, Ms. Le Van was selected as one of the top 3 winners of the Camille Coloratura Awards. Ms. Le Van placed above 170 applicants from 12 countries. The rounds were adjudicated by a jury headed by Metropolitan Opera singer Elizabeth Futral, culminating in a virtual concert featuring 10 finalists. The mission of the competition is to highlight the art of coloratura singing.
UPDATE: Recording release with peer music records
Peer Music Records has just set a new release date for Maestro Serebrier’s recording of original compositions with the Malaga Philharmonic of Spain (November 2020). Ms. Le Van recorded the soprano solo in his symphonic work “Colores Magicos” under his direction last year. She was selected by the composer to share the track with soloist Sara Cutler, Principal Harp of the American Symphony Orchestra and New York City Ballet Orchestra and soloist under the baton of Bernstein, Gergiev, Levine and Solti. Maestro Serebrier described Ms. Le Van’s contribution as “absolutely wonderful, in every sense” and hailed her as a soprano “destined for a very brilliant career”.
INTERVIEW WITH CARL TANNER & FRANK BASILE
Ms. Le Van shares some thoughts along with her mentor, Metropolitan Opera Star tenor Jon Fredric West, about the academy they founded together to train young singers. Metropolitan Opera tenor Carl Tanner and singer Frank Basile — husband to the late Hollywood legend Celeste Holm — conduct the interview.
Opera with a Side of Fries is a podcast hosted by three pro singers who discuss the entertainment industry and interview celebrity guests from all walks of entertainment. Previous guests include singers Latonia Moore, Michael Fabiano, Marianne Cornetti, Sherrill Milnes, Morris Robinson, and Joseph Calleja.
Jon fredric west vocal academy (2020 virtual edition)
During the second week of August, Ms. Le Van launched the virtual edition of the Jon Fredric West Vocal Academy, a training program she co-founded with Metropolitan Opera singer Jon Fredric West last year. The transition to an online platform allowed opera singers nationwide to hone their craft under the auspices of the program. Ms. Le Van participated in instilling vital artistic and practical skills in the students which are often not transmitted in conservatories, including the ability to build a frame of reference based on historical precedent. Six young artists enrolled for intensive study, coaching, and workshops equipping them for the reopening of theaters and the rest of their careers. Ms. Le Van served as a faculty member along with Metropolitan Opera Singers Jon Fredric West, Peter Strummer, & Linda Roark-Strummer. She also organized and moderated fourteen virtual events, including two recital and masterclass performances and twelve lectures attended by the students and twenty auditors featuring the insights of the vocal faculty, the internationally renowned pianist Eric Le Van, and acclaimed conductor, music director, and répétiteur Helge Dorsch (former assistant to Riccardo Muti and Claudio Abbado).
The lectures covered topics as diverse as technique, vocal history, bel canto antico, verismo, vocal health, the art of practicing, learning coloratura, dramatic interpretation, career direction, and expression through phrasing and tempo modification. The lectures, including Ms. Le Van’s discussion of opera aesthetics, are still available for purchase on the JFWVA website.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Ms. Le Van is sorry to announce the cancellations or postponements of several of her engagements due to the epidemic.
Florida Mini-Tour with James Valenti:
CANCELLED
Teatro Nuovo Bel Canto Festival:
POSTPONED (Summer 2021)
Serebrier Recording Release Date:
POSTPONED (November 2020)
Recitals in Southern California:
Balboa Classical Series, June 16th (CANCELLED)
Mission Viejo Cultural Series, July 23rd (CANCELLED)
Solo Recital with the Burbank Philharmonic:
POSTPONED (Spring 2021)
However, Ms. Le Van is pleased to announce that as co-founder of the Jon Fredric West Vocal Academy, she will be launching the virtual edition led by Metropolitan Opera Singer Jon West and enriched by the addition of four world-class faculty members. From Aug. 7- 14, young artists will have the opportunity to take lessons, coach repertoire, and attend workshops under the guidance of soloists at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Bayreuth Festival, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper, Wiener Staatsoper, and Royal Opera. The program will also host an online lecture series available to a select number of auditors. Ms. Le Van will moderate all fourteen events, including two virtual recitals, twelve lectures, and a question and answer session.
Ms. Le Van has spent her quarantine learning roles as well as writing and preparing two research works relating to opera performance for publication. The first focuses on the French Symbolist poet Baudelaire’s reading (or misreading) of Wagner’s female figures in Tannhäuser and the aesthetic ramifications of his interpretation. Goran Blix, Associate Professor of French & 19th century studies at Princeton, writes that "Solène’s work is remarkably sophisticated (and eloquent), brilliant and well-researched, building on a deep familiarity with a broader body of work—poetry, art criticism, and essays (…) Solène has ingeniously discovered a new and original approach to the material". The second short book analyzes late nineteenth and early twentieth century opera comique style through early recordings of Massenet’s Manon.
Ms. Le Van will incorporate part of her research in a lecture entitled “Aesthetics of Opera: the Role of the Modern Performer” presented at the Jon Fredric West Vocal Academy online on August 12th.
“A masterful presentation amending one instance of cultural amnesia and deserving of the highest commendation.”
ROLE ANNOUNCEMENTS: TEATRO NUOVO BEL CANTO FESTIVAL 2020
This July, Ms. Le Van will perform as a soprano soloist with the Teatro Nuovo Bel Canto Festival Orchestra in Gaetano Donizetti’s “Miserere” under the baton of Jakob Lehmann. Under the guidance of Will Crutchfield, she will also prepare and cover the role of Anna in Gioachino Rossini’s “Maometto II” and perform in pre-opera recitals at the Lincoln Center.
With Mo. Steve Kerstein of the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra.
Brand Concert Hall, California.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF THE Hennings-Fischer Young Artists Competition
This February, Ms. Le Van competed in the finals concert of the Hennings-Fischer Competition hosted at the Brand Concert Hall. She presented “En proie à la tristesse” by Gioachino Rossini and “Je suis encore tout étourdie” by Jules Massenet before a live public accompanied by master classical pianist Eric Le Van. Her performances garnered her the grand finals prize and the opportunity to perform a full recital with the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2020-2021 season (repertoire and dates to be announced).
Past prize-winners include sopranos Julie Adams and Angela Meade as well as instrumentalists Nigel Armstrong, Aubree Oliverson, Katheryn Eberle, and Keith Williams.
SUMMER 2020: TEATRO NUOVO STUDIO ARTIST PROGRAM
Conductor and scholar Will Crutchfield recently invited Ms. Le Van to join the Teatro Nuovo Studio Artist Program next summer. The program focuses on restoring the lost art of bel canto. Resident and Studio Artists sing/cover leading and supporting roles in mainstage Rossini and Donizetti operas and perform chamber music and recitals in NYC.
Le Van and Mo. Serebrier, NYC.
NEW RECORDING PROJECT WITH PEER MUSIC RECORDS
On November 2019, Ms. Le Van recorded the ethereal soprano solo in Maestro Serebrier’s symphonic work “Colores Magicos” under his direction.
Maestro Serebrier, who selected Ms. Le Van himself for the project, described her singing as “perfectly beautiful”. The CD, which features the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra, will be released on Peer Music Records in April 2020 and will be considered for nomination in the Latin Grammy’s.
Princeton, NJ (Photo credit: Noel Valero)
ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD FOR AMERICAN MUSIC PRIZEWINNER
In October, Ms. Le Van received the American Prize’s Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music for her interpretation of Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915 with the Princeton University Orchestra. Maestro David Katz praised her “technical (...) and emotional tour de force,” describing her as “an artist with a clear understanding of the text and situation, able to convey the atmosphere of a certain sense of longing and loss of innocence (...) not usual”.
Munson-Williams Proctor Art Institute, New York.
PBS / WCNY RADIO INTERVIEW
This October, Ms. Le Van joined hostess Diane Jones to discuss her nascent career and her next concert at the Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute, as well as to perform a few pieces by Massenet, Mozart, Ernst Charles, and Vittorio Monti. The concert featured a varied program on voice and violin ranging from Rossini arias and a duet from La Traviata (performed with master tenor Jon West) to American songbook standards.
PERFORMANCE AND INTERVIEW SEGMENT FOR NBC affiliate, WKTV Tv (NEW YORK)
WKTV TV catches up with Ms. Le Van rehearsing for a concert at Wellin Hall / Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts, Clinton, New York.
The segment includes a short interview on Le Van’s artistic background and ends with an excerpt from “Let My Song Fill Your Heart” by Ernst Charles.
The episode was broadcast on Fox33 and WUTR and accompanied by a print feature in the Classical MV Magazine.
Both pieces publicized an engagement at the Munson Williams Proctor Institute, where Le Van performed scenes from Il barbiere di Siviglia and Traviata to great acclaim. The program also included aria selections by Mozart and virtuoso violin encores.
FLORIDA MINI-TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT
This March, Ms. Le Van will perform selections by Handel, Beethoven, Puccini, Dalla, & Sartori as a soloist opposite Metropolitan Opera tenor James Valenti in a series of crossover concerts. The show is conceived by Maestro Randall Fleischer and features Broadway star Rob Evans and Celtic Woman violinist Máiréad Nesbitt. Ms. Le Van assumes the role of a touring artist following a run as an understudy to soprano Alyson Cambridge at the Schubert Theater on Broadway last year.
OPERA BUFFS INCORPORATION GRANT RECIPIENT
As a result of singing “Regnava nel silenzio” by Gaetano Donizetti for a jury panel, Ms. Le Van received a grant in recognition of her “demonstrated talent and potential for a career in opera”. Maestro Brent McMunn, head member of the jury, noted that Ms. Le Van is “unique, clearly prodigiously accomplished, and a true musician”.
The Opera Buffs is dedicated to supporting emerging opera singers at the crucial juncture — the years of transition from student to professional performer. Former artists include Brian Asawa, Richard Bernstein, Charles Castronovo, Michelle DeYoung, Julianna Di Giacomo, Greg Fedderly, Jesús León, Danielle De Niese, Sandra Radvanovsky and Deborah Voigt.
Ms. Le Van is grateful to have been able to use the grant to fund career-related expenses.
PERFORMANCE WITH THE HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Ms. Le Van performed this July at the 2019 Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival for an audience of 2,000. Her program included selections from Lucia di Lammermoor, La bohème, and Manon.