Schmidt Vocal Arts has announced the winners of its 2025-26 Northern California Regional Competition, held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

Jane Hasty of Burbank, CA took First Place, followed by Brooks Liang of Campbell, CA in Second Place, and Auralia Manís of Winston-Salem, NC in Third Place.

Encouragement Awards went to Samsara Dluzak of Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco, Luna Kup of North Hollywood High School, and Sierra Vidnovic. Liang also received the Most Promising Sophomore prize.

The jury featured tenor Richard Cox, Executive Chair and Professor of Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; baritone Gordon Hawkins, Professor of Voice at Arizona State University; and soprano Dr. Monica Williams-McCullough, Assistant Professor in Residence and Coordinator of Voice Division at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The other finalists included Victoria Chen, Kochavia Glaubach, Anastasia Miin, Isabelle Prats, Israel Rangel-Mejia, and Sierra Vidnovic (Livermore High School).

The three top prizewinners — who received awards of $2,500, $2,000, and $1,500 respectively — now advance to the National Competition in May and are eligible to apply for college scholarships from Schmidt Vocal Arts, which awards more than $500,000 annually to support applicants’ higher education.

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