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Following
in the Footsteps of "La Divina!"
Season subscribers to
The Dallas Opera have selected impressive
young soprano Latonia Moore to be the distinguished recipient of the
2005 Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award
for her dynamic performance as Micaëla, the
faithful country girl, in last season's production of Georges Bizet's Carmen.
The announcement was made by General
Director Karen Stone at the
annual
appreciation dinner of The Dallas Opera Board and Trustees,
held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Adolphus in downtown Dallas.
Jonathan
Pell, Director of Artistic Administration
for The Dallas Opera writes, "I first heard Latonia when she was just
beginning her studies at the University of North Texas. I
knew
then that she was one of the most prodigiously gifted young singers I
had ever heard.
"Engaging her
for this production of Carmen
was an opportunity to let Dallas audiences experience her remarkable
development, and I couldn't be more pleased that the public has voted
her The Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year."
Ms. Moore was one of six
singing actors
nominated by a panel of music critics and opera company officials to be
considered for this year's award. The other contenders were
Robert Brubaker (who portrayed Laca in our November 2004 production of Jenufa),
Donato Di Stefano (Don Magnifico in Cinderella,
November 2004), David Kempster (Sharpless in Madame
Butterfly, January 2005), John
Matz (Pinkerton in Madame
Butterfly, January 2005) and
Ekaterina Semenchuk (the title role in Carmen,
October 2004).
Ms. Moore, who regaled the crowd with a performance of
"Ebben? Ne andro lontana," from Catalani's La
Wally,
told the Board and Trustees "I am no Callas, but I was put here to
share my gifts with you. I'm happy you enjoyed my performance
in Carmen
and I'm so very grateful."
There's little doubt that --
years from now - opera lovers will talk (with pride) about the first
time they heard Latonia on The Dallas Opera stage.
Read
the full story and see a list of previous winners.
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