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Rising Opera Stars Compete in Career-Defining Competition
The McCammon Voice Competition is back! On Sunday, March 23, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., ten rising stars of the opera world will take the stage at the Kimbell Art Museum, competing for $15,000 in prizes. Hosted by Fort Worth Opera, with tickets available on the opera website, this exciting biennial event is a rare chance to witness world-class talent up close, with the audience even getting to vote on one of the prizes.
“Every other year since 1985, the McCammon Voice Competition brings Final Four intensity, American Idol vitality, and Oscar Red Carpet style right here to our city,” said Fort Worth Opera General & Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson. “It’s high-stakes, high-drama, and high artistry — all in one thrilling afternoon.”
The competition first debuted in 1985, after devoted opera supporter Marguerite McCammon donated $30,000 to the Opera Guild to help young singers prove their talents and advance their careers by competing for awards and recognition. Originally open to Texans, the competition soon became national — and then international — and has successfully launched careers of opera stars such as Grammy-winning baritone Richard Paul Fink, a world-renowned Wagnerian and frequent Metropolitan Opera guest; and soprano Marjorie Owens, who returned to Texas last season to headline Strauss’ Elektra at Dallas Opera.
2023 McCammon Competition
L-R: Caroline Corrales, Cloe SanAntonio, Hilary Grace Taylor, William Guanbo Su, Magdalena Kuzma, Mary Beth Nelson, Siphokazi Molteno (winner), Angela Turner Wilson, Dr. Corey Trahan
The McCammon is open to singers 21 and above who have never had professional management. This year, nearly 300 hopefuls from around the world applied — including singers from the U.S. (and Texas!), Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France. A panel of 17 judges winnowed that field to 48 semi-finalists, who were then evaluated by three industry pros: mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, Baylor professor and vocal coach Kathleen Kelly, and conductor Tyson Deaton, fresh from Fort Worth Opera’s production of Little Women.
The finalists who will compete on March 23 are:
- Winona Martin, Mezzo-Soprano – Dallas, Texas
- Sarah Rachel Bacani, Soprano – Toms River, New Jersey
- Elana Bell, Mezzo-Soprano – New York, New York
- Justin Burgess, Baritone – South Lyon, Michigan
- Catherine Creed, Soprano – Highlands, New Jersey
- Rolfe Dauz, Baritone – Walnut Creek, California
- Alexandra Henderson, Soprano – Oneonta, New York
- Julia Maria Johnson, Soprano – Spokane, Washington
- Alexia Mate, Soprano – Long Island, New York
- Margaret Tigue, Soprano – Wantagh, New York
Each of those contestants has submitted a list of four arias they are prepared to sing, chosen to showcase vocal artistry, technical skill, and command of multiple languages — essential for professional opera singers, who often perform in English, Italian, French, German, and even Russian.
At the live event on March 23, each singer gets to choose their first aria from that list, which they will perform with piano accompaniment. For the second half of the program, the judges raise the stakes by selecting a surprise second aria from the same list.
Those judges will be a tough panel, but each brings real career-launching potential to the dais: Fort Worth Opera’s Turner Wilson will be joined by Chandler Johnson of Santa Fe Opera, Vanessa Uzan of UIA Talent Agency, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
Along with First, Second and Third Prizes, the judges will present an Audience Favorite Award chosen by ticket holders in attendance. During the awards ceremony, Turner Wilson will also deliver a well-earned recognition to Opera board member and friend John Forestner, and a posthumous recognition to Opera board member and staunch advocate Louise Carvey.
Audience members will then have the chance to meet the competitors at a post-awards reception, all in the intimate setting of the Kimbell Art Museum theater.
Nancy Menking, the granddaughter of competition founder “Mimi” McCammon, shared fond memories of picking her favorite singers over the many years she has attended the competition. “I love to get the program and get my pencil out,” she said. “I pick 1, 2 and 3 — but I’m always off on the winner. I do usually get the Audience Favorite right! I guess that goes to show how much great talent there is in this competition. It’s very impressive.”
“The McCammon is a launching pad for the next generation of opera stars,” Turner Wilson agreed. “Each finalist on that stage could be standing on the brink of a major career. When you come out and support them, you’re getting an afternoon of spectacular voices singing world famous arias — but it’s deeper than that. You’re also helping to shape the future of opera.”
To learn more about the McCammon Competition, and to purchase tickets for the event, please visit the Fort Worth Opera website at fwopera.org.
