Christina Kay is one of seven finalists.
A Madison soprano has made it into the final round of competition for the Handel Aria Competition, a worldwide competition now in its fourth year.
“It feels exciting and a tiny bit scary,” says finalist Christina Kay, who will perform with other finalists at a public concert in conjunction with the Madison Early Music Festival at Mills Concert Hall on Friday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m.
A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Kay earned her master’s in music at UW-Madison in 2014 and currently freelances in the area. At the concert she will perform Handel’s “M’adora l’idol mio” from the opera Teseo and “As Cheers the Sun” from the oratorio Joshua.
“Handel’s music runs the gamut of expressivity, from beautiful and simple to thrilling and fiery...and everything in between,” says Kay. “As an ornamentation nerd, I love figuring out what kinds of embellishments fit both the character of the aria and my voice. There’s so much you can do within Handel’s melodic frameworks, which makes the learning and performing particularly fun.”
The contest judges chose Kay from a field of almost 100 performers from around the world. She is among seven finalists and two alternates who will travel here from as far away as Montreal and Sydney, Australia. At the concert, each singer will present two arias, accompanied by the Madison Bach Musicians.
“I love Handel’s music, along with all things Baroque, so I’m thrilled to be singing these pieces for the competition,” Kay says. “Knowing that there will be many friends, mentors and colleagues in the audience makes it both special and a little more nerve-wracking, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The contest was co-founded by Dean and Carol “Orange” Schroeder, co-owners of Orange Tree Imports and self-described Handel enthusiasts. Dean Schroeder say he was “averse to opera” for most of his life until he heard an aria from Handel’s Alcina on Wisconsin Public Radio. “I was so moved by how gorgeously melodic it was that I had to pull over to listen,” says Schroeder. “I knew then that I had to seek out this opera and this composer and hear more. In recent years there has been a renaissance of his music, and in encouraging young singers, we are thrilled to be a part of it.”
