[From the Seattle Opera] Eight Singers Chosen from Auditions in Berlin, Vienna, London, Paris, New York, and Seattle Competition Will Be Held August 19 at McCaw Hall Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins announced today the names of the eight finalists and two alternates in the company's first International Wagner Competition. This event will feature eight opera singers, between the ages of 25 and 40, competing for two $15,000 prizes in a concert with full orchestra on August 19, 2006, at McCaw Hall. Tickets for this event will go on sale on April 10, 2006. Finalists: Carolyn Betty, soprano, auditioned in New York Jason Collins, tenor, auditioned in Seattle Dorothy Grandia, soprano, auditioned in London Paul McNamara, tenor, auditioned in Berlin Miriam Murphy, soprano, auditioned in London James Rutherford, baritone, auditioned in London Andrew Lindsay Sritheran, tenor, auditioned in London Carsten Wittmoser, bass, auditioned in Berlin Alternates: Maria Jooste, soprano, auditioned in New York Philip O'Brien, tenor, auditioned in London Last summer, during the run of Seattle Opera's Ring des Nibelungen, Jenkins announced the creation of the Seattle Opera International Wagner Competition, made possible by a generous contribution from the Simonyi Foundation for Arts and Sciences. Since 1975, with the presentation of its first Ring cycle, Seattle Opera has built an international reputation for being the leading presenter of the Wagner repertoire in the United States. This Wagner tradition began under the leadership of the company's Founding General Director Glynn Ross and has continued under the leadership of Jenkins. (During the Jenkins administration, Seattle Opera has completed the daunting artistic feat of presenting not only two original productions of Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen but original productions of all ten of Wagner's major operas.) The Seattle Opera International Wagner Competition, as an extension of Seattle Opera's commitment to Wagner, has been established to identify and recognize opera singers who demonstrate clear promise of an important career in the Wagner repertoire. >> Janos Gereben/SF www.sfcv.org [log in to unmask]