The 62nd Annual American Jenny Lind Competition
features twelve sopranos all vying for the title to be
the 2010 Barnum Festival Swedish Nightingale!
On Saturday, April 24th starting at 12:45PM at the Salem Lutheran Church in Bridgeport, the Barnum Festival will hold the
62nd Annual Jenny Lind Operatic Competition. Coloratura sopranos from around the nation have been invited to compete to win the distinction of being the
2010 American Jenny Lind. The winner will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize and perform in concert on June 24th at 7:30PM at the Playhouse on the Green with the winner from the Swedish annual choral competition. In July, the American winner will travel to Sweden for a two week concert tour. This annual event is sponsored by the Barnum Festival with support from the Norden Club and the Barnum Museum.
Twelve young women ages 20 to 30 have been invited to compete on April 24th as semi-finalists. They will perform before a live audience and a panel of judges. The competitors include two from Connecticut, Alyssa Bowlby of Norwalk and Jennifer Caraluzzi of Bethel. Both have competed in this prestigious event before. The ten other competitors are: Sarah Ann Mitchell of Brookline MA, Kimberly Soby of Newton MA, Siri Howard of New York NY, Samantha Pruyn Guevrekian of Long Beach NY, Erike Buchholz of Woodside NY, Halley Gilbert of Union City NJ, Vedrana Kalas of Delmar NJ (born in Bosnia), Phoenix Gayles of Temple Terrace FL, Diana Farrell of Cleveland OH and Sarah Butler of Milwaukee, WI. There were 22 applicants for this year’s competition and they each aspire to a career in opera. Most have already had professional performance experience. Each soprano will sing a selection of her choice followed by a piece chosen by the judges.
Opera lovers will enjoy listening to gems of the opera repertoire, with distinctly different voices, and can challenge themselves to
pick the winner.
In the 1850s, P.T. Barnum presented the beautiful
Jenny Lind and her unique and glorious soprano voice to American audiences. The yearlong tour began with more than 40,000 people gathering at the docks in New York to greet Jenny Lind, no doubt lured by Barnum’s press manipulation. Jenny Lind created a sensation in America during her tour and soon became known as
the Swedish Nightingale.
In 1949, a competition was started to find vocal artists in both Sweden and America who were most representative of the voice of Jenny Lind. The competition has continued each year since.
What: Jenny Lind Competition - the only classical music event of The Barnum Festival
Where: Salem Lutheran Church, 3160 Park Avenue, Bridgeport CT
When: Saturday, April 24, 2010
12:45 p.m. Welcome and Introductions
1 p.m. Competition begins with short break at 2 p.m.
3:10 p.m. Judges deliberate.
3:30 p.m. Finalists perform if requested
4 p.m. Announcement of Winners. 2010 Barnum Festival Ringmaster Tom Santa will present the awards.
Who: Anyone interested in music or in supporting The Barnum Festival
Cost: No charge
For more information contact
The Barnum Festival at (203) 367-8495
and/or toll free at (866) 867-8495
820 Main Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Telephone: (203) 331-1104
Executive Director/Curator: Kathleen Maher
