A classical version of BYU Idol is set to take the stage in the Madsen Recital Hall this week.
The Young Artists in Voice Competition is an annual event held by the School of Music, and has been running since 1997. Professors pick students to participate based on their jury results from the previous semester, selecting the top 25 students, both male and female. Students compete for the title of Best Male and Female Singers of the year, along with a cash prize and plaque, bearing the names of famous classically-trained LDS opera singers like Ariel Bybee.
Darrell Babidge, a professor of Vocal Performance and organizer of the competition, said the event helps singers get ready for real world music experiences.
“The competition was initiated in the vocal program so that students would get the experience of competing and performing, in preparation for similar experiences in the music world,” Babidge said.
Leading LDS opera singers have participated in this competition, including Rachel Willis-Sorensen, who won the competition four years ago. Willis-Sorensen is set to take a lead role at the Royal Opera House in London this year, playing Countess Almaviva in “The Marriage of Figaro.”
Becca Pedersen, a freshman from Bountiful, is one of the youngest contestants in the competition. Surprisingly, Pedersen has only been taking singing lessons since she was 18. She credits her teachers for pushing her to excel.
Lori Bikhazi is a participant on the other side of the spectrum. A graduate student from Albuquerque, N.M., Bikhazi has been singing since she was 4, though it wasn’t until high school that she said she got serious with it.
Bikhazi said she’s excited for the competition, and that it’s fun to perform.
“We’re performance majors but we don’t actually get many opportunities to perform,” Bikhazi said.
Bikhazi and Pedersen both said music is a way for them to share their testimonies.
“I view my singing very much as a responsibility,” Pedersen said. “I feel that when God gives you this talent, he wants you to use it, so I’m just glad that he’s giving me a talent that I love and can use.”
Both hope to sing for opera companies in the future.
Three rounds of competition will be held, starting with 25 contestants competing on Jan. 10. It will be cut down to 15 contestants on the Jan. 12. The finals will be held on Jan. 14 as the competition is whittled down to 10 contestants. All rounds will be held in the Madsen Recital Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center.
