Congratulations to Jonathan Heller ’17E for his outstanding performance in the 27th annual Lotte Lenya Competition, which took place on Saturday, May 3 in Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall. Selected from an initial pool of 260 applicants, Jonathan was 1 of 11 finalists to advance in the internationally renowned theatrical singing contest, taking home a prize of $3,000. Jonathan is a New York based actor, singer, and dancer who has toured nationally with CATS as a Vacation Swing and has performed in several regional productions including, Chicago, Hello, Dolly!, and Cinderella. You can see Jonathan this summer in the production of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical from July 9 – August 17 at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. During his time at Eastman, Jonathan studied with Professor Jan Opalach, earning his Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance.
The competition also featured Eastman Alumna and Artistic Director of Central City Opera Alison Moritz ’12E (MM), who was one of three esteemed artists to judge the final round, and alum Lyndon Meyer ’10E (MM) who has played as a piano accompanist for the competition since his time as a student at Eastman.
Check out a video from this year’s competition!