Fort Worth Opera hosts prestigious competition. Here’s where to hear the next great voice

After two years of uncertainty and an inability to perform in person at competitions during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hilary Taylor, like other young vocalists, was ready to perform in public again.

She also had to for the sake of her work. “The work pipeline is backed up from COVID-19,” the North Texas native said. “We’re moving forward a bit now that everything is in person.”

Among the in-person events is the biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition, hosted by the Fort Worth Opera. The event takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday at the W.E. Scott Theatre at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, 1300 Gendy St.

Taylor, a mezzo-soprano, is among the 10 competitors in the 35-year-old national competition, which returns after a five-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and leadership changes.

Its namesake had served on the board of the Fort Worth Opera Association and was interested in identifying and supporting new talent. One of the best ways to identify talent was a competition. Its prestige has grown since its inception as a competition exclusively for Texas residents or students at a Texas university or studio. The initial reward was $1,000.

Competitors come from across the country. And as of this year, the age limit has been lifted.

The first-place winner receives a $15,000 reward.

“This year’s competition received over 500 applicants vying for a chance to compete not only for substantial prize money but also the opportunity to perform with our company in a future mainstage production,” said Angela Turner Wilson, the opera’s general and artistic director.

This year’s judges include Wilson, Ian Derrer, the Kern Wildenthal general director and CEO of The Dallas Opera, Devere Burnett, the artist manager for IMG Artists and Patrick Summers, the artistic and music director of Houston Grand Opera.

They also join an impressive string of previous competitors, including 2011 Grammy Award winner Richard Paul Fink and 2012 Grammy nominee Ava Pine.

Taylor said competitions like the McCammon are among the best ways to support young and emerging singers. And, other than performances, one of the rare times they sing before the public.

Singers spend most of their time not performing for the public but in auditions and rehearsals closed to the public.

The McCammon and other competitions are exciting. “It’s exciting for the audience to hear our arias and to see each singer’s individuality,” she said.

Having another set of ears also helps. She recently competed at the Shreveport Opera’s Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition. While she didn’t win, the jurors provided extensive feedback.

Jennifer Chung Quintard is a 2001 McCammon winner and Artistic Administrator at the Fort Worth Opera. She agrees with Taylor. Being a young singer is tough.

While winning the competition as a young artist put her on companies’ radars and helped secure national and international gigs, extensive touring kept her from her family. After realizing she wanted to raise her child with her husband instead of with her husband and nannies, she moved from performance to artistic administration, working at the Dallas Opera from 2016 until last month, when she began her current role.

Additionally, “winning any competition takes work, even with the opportunities available,” she said.

Taylor is well aware. She typically auditions once or twice a week.

“The pressure to be seen and heard is even greater now because of technology,” Quintard said. Being on social media is as important as being on the audition circuit.

Cash prizes are not just a form of reward. For young artists, the rewards fund finding a manager, traveling for gigs, and maintaining an eye-popping wardrobe.

“With a first prize of $15,000, an aspiring singer could use these winnings to pay for lessons, purchase music, travel to auditions, pay hotel, transportation, accompanist fees, make rent, groceries, and possibly have a little left over for a new audition outfit,” Wilson said. “Unlike many young professional athletes that line up endorsements to fund their aspirations, these young artists rarely enjoy the luxury of funding to pursue their dreams.”

Even with a manager, Quintard cautioned, the onus is still on the singer to control their career.

In her experience, young artists could audition for a young adult artist residency, common at opera companies. (Fort Worth Opera has long sponsored the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists.) They should enter competitions and get a manager.

Taylor likened the process to training for the Olympics.

“Voice, like any art or Olympian, is about continuing training. Competitions help young singers to move forward with their career,” Taylor said.