SUNY Potsdam Alumnus Advances to Finals in 2015 Lotte Lenya Singing Competition

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Crane School of Music alumnus Jordan Davidson ’12 has advanced to the finals in the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition.

POTSDAM, NY (03/30/2015)(readMedia)-- A recent Crane School of Music graduate has advanced to the final round in the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition, held annually by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music. Jordan Davidson '12, a tenor originally from Philadelphia, N.Y., has been named a finalist in the prestigious international singing competition.

Jordan Davidson '12 was the 2012 first prize winner in Syracuse's Civic Morning Musicals Competition, and just completed a term as a Young Artist at Utah Festival Opera. He was previously a 2013 Studio Artist at Saratoga Opera. In 2014, he was chosen to take part in the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar at The Crane School of Music. While a 2011 College Light Opera Resident Artist, Jordan appeared in "On the Twentieth Century," "Oklahoma!" and "Kiss Me, Kate." A graduate of SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, Davidson is continuing his studies toward a Master of Music degree in vocal performance at James Madison University.

Now in its 17th year, the Lotte Lenya Competition is an international theatre singing contest that recognizes talented young singer-actors, between the ages of 19 and 32, who are dramatically and musically convincing in a wide range of repertoire, from opera and operetta to contemporary Broadway musicals, with a focus on the works of Kurt Weill.

Along with the other 13 finalists, Davidson will compete for top prizes of $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500, on April 18 in Rochester, N.Y. The judges will include Broadway leading lady and Tony Award nominee Rebecca Luker; British opera and musical theatre conductor James Holmes, and Rodgers & Hammerstein President and American Theatre Wing Vice-Chairman Theodore S. Chapin.

Rebecca Luker, who judges for the fifth time this year, said of the contest, "There is no other singing competition quite like it. The Lotte Lenya competitor must have it all: acting and singing chops from a wide variety of theatrical and musical realms and also that certain something -- charisma, star-quality, call it what you will -- that puts them above all others. It's always extremely difficult to pick only a handful of winners from a group that is always wholly excellent."

Finalists were selected from a group of 28 semi-finalists from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, after auditions in New York City on March 13 and 14. Contestants were required to prepare four selections: an aria from the opera or operetta repertoire; two songs from the American musical theatre repertoire (one from the pre-1968 "Golden Age," and one from 1968 or later), and a theatrical selection by Kurt Weill. Drama Desk nominated singer, actor and voice teacher Judy Blazer and Broadway music director and conductor Andy Einhorn served as adjudicator/coaches, evaluating and working with each of the semi-finalists.

The 2015 finalists, ranging in age this year from 23 to 31, are: Robin Bailey (London, UK), Jordan Davidson (New York, USA), Adam Fieldson (Nebraska, USA), Briana Silvie Gantsweg (California, USA), Anthony Heinemann (Missouri, USA), Talya Lieberman (Ohio, USA), Carter Lynch (Maryland, USA), Michael Maliakel (New Jersey, USA), Lauren Michelle (California, USA), Florian Peters (Ko?ln, Germany), Katherine Riddle (Maryland, USA), Jim Schubin (Colorado, USA), Annie Sherman (Maryland, USA), and Christine Cornish Smith (Texas, USA).

Finalists will perform their entire programs for the judges on Saturday, April 18, between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. At 8 pm, they will perform a concert of selections, which will conclude with the announcement of the winners. Both events are free and open to the public, and will take place in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.

Since the inception of the Lotte Lenya Competition in 1998, the Kurt Weill Foundation has awarded over $600,000 in prize money to young performers and continues to support previous winners through professional development grants.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution.

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