The Voice, Opera, and Vocal Coaching (VOVC) Department at Eastman has greatly benefited from the support of Friends of Eastman Opera (FEO). FEO’s mission statement is to “support Eastman opera students, programs, and productions, and to promote Eastman Opera Theatre in the Rochester community.” This includes advertising, grant funding, and their annual Friends of Eastman Opera Competition, now in its 25th year.

“The Friends of Eastman Opera continues to lead the way for philanthropy and moral support for our students and the entire VOVC family,” says Timothy Long, artistic and music director of opera at Eastman. “More than ever, groups like this are an important part of the fabric that holds us together. We are eternally grateful for all that they do and hope that others around the country will emulate this esteemed group of individuals.”

Preliminary rounds for the 25th Annual FEO Competition were held privately and adjudicated by Heather Buck, soprano and artist director for Odyssey Opera and Boston Modern Orchestra Project. The following vocalists (and collaborative pianists) have been selected to compete in the final round, listed here in alphabetical order:

• Mira Belanger, soprano (Peizhang Wu)
• Sarah Cao, soprano (Taya Promereuk)
• Mara Davis, soprano (Calvin Guse)
• Jason Garcia-Kakuk, tenor (Gregory Smith)
• Owen Gavigan, baritone (Wanxin Yu)
• Yiran Guan, mezzo-soprano (Xi Huang)
• Emily Krasinski, soprano (Xiaoling Qian)
• Thomas Lynch IV, tenor (Samuel Leung)
• Karynna Moore-Sobel, soprano (Ailun Zheng)

The final round will be held on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall. The adjudicator for this round will be Robert Ainsley, artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival. This event is free and open to the public in addition to being livestreamed. Following the awards, FEO will be hosting a reception.

To learn more about studying Voice at Eastman, visit esm.rochester.edu/voice.

Robert Ainsley

About Robert Ainsley: 

Active as an opera fanatic and factotum for over two decades, Robert Ainsley has explored every facet of the art form across the country and lives to pass on his enthusiasm to others. He is now in his fourth season as the artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival, one of America’s most renowned summer festivals and New York State’s second-largest opera company, located in Cooperstown, New York.

In addition to leading a production of his own realization of Cavalli’s La Calisto from the harpsichord in 2024, he also presided over the festival’s celebrations of its 50th anniversary in 2025, when it was the proud recipient of the inaugural International Opera Award for Best Musical for its production of Sunday in the Park with George. Read Ainsley’s full bio here.