George Shirley Vocal Competition

Date/Time
05/16/2025
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

The George Shirley Vocal Competition: African American Vocal Repertoire (GSVC) is an annual competition held at the University of Michigan. The competition offers singers and composers the opportunity to work with and receive feedback from world-renowned judges, including George Shirley. More than $44,000 in prizes are awarded annually. The competition is open to singers ages 14-35 of all races and ethnicities and composers ages 18-35.

Opera on Tap (Rochester) Sponsored Prizes:

In honor of Dr. Terri Carson Braxton, Opera on Tap (Rochester) will be awarding an annual $1,000.00 “Dr. Terri Braxton Encouragement Award” to a singer cross the competition that identifies as a member of the Black Diaspora (encompassing a wide populous demographic) beginning in the 2024-25 competition cycle. This award is given to an individual artist possessing significant promise and/or talent showing the interest and potential of having a professional career as a 21st century artist. This award is offered as an opportunity to provide young artists with supplemental funding to support their study in the form of coaching sessions or lessons, as an emergency grant for unexpected expenses, and/or as a cash award to support artists in whatever form they feel will benefit their professional and/or personal endeavors.

The Catherine Russell Composer Award will be given biennially in honor of my grandmother, Catherine Russell, who learned about the art of classical and/or operatic literature throughout my high school studies. She didn’t always know what to think of it but grew to understand the impact and influence it had on my training and thus the awakening of my life through the power and world of music. In her legacy, we would like to provide a $2,500 cash prize, roundtrip airfare to and from Rochester (up to $800 value), sponsored single housing, food voucher, and the commissioning of a 12- minute new work in the following year at our local partnering venue here in Rochester. This award is to raise awareness, to educate and enlighten, and to provide multi-dimensional experiences through the lens of newly commissioned works.

The Jay-Red-Koh Encouragement Award will be given biennially in honor of the administrative board— Jay St. Flono, Jared, & Seiko — to a LGBTQIA+ singer demonstrating incredible potential and promise to encourage thought-provoking change in the world of music through the power of their voice/s. This $1,000.00 award is to help generate the transparency and visibility of LGBTQIA+ singers in the ever-evolving world of our existing musical landscape. And, more importantly, to encourage a push toward being and sharing the most authentic versions of ourselves while building a safe space for a community of artists who are often some of the most vulnerable.

University of Michigan
500 S State St
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109