The 2019 first-place winner of Manhattan School of Music’s prestigious Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition has been announced.

This year the winner of the competition was  soprano Hyeree Shin, a Professional Studies Certificate candidate at the School. Shin received $20,000 in prize money to be used towards her professional development.

Soprano Kelly Singer, a second year graduate student at MSM, took home second place while soprano Hannah Friesen, who is also in her second year of graduate studies at the School, took home the third prize.

This year, the distinguished judges for the competition were mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, Peter Russell, General Director of Vocal Arts DC, and Diane Zola, Assistant General Manager at the Metropolitan Opera.

This year’s finalists were selected through a preliminary audition and all participants in the audition were nominated by their teachers at MSM.