Hope College students earned first-place and finalist honors during the Opera Grand Rapids Collegiate Competition held on Friday, Feb. 28, at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center in Grand Rapids.
Sophomore Rosemary Walsh of Evanston, Ill., was the first-place winner in Division II, the division for college freshmen and sophomores. Junior Danielle Meyer of Dearborn was one of three students named finalists in Division I, the division for college juniors and seniors.
The next round in the competition is scheduled for Sunday, April 6. Walsh will sing as the Division II winner, and Meyer and the other Division I finalists will compete for the Division I awards.
The Opera Grand Rapids Collegiate Vocal Competition provides an opportunity for outstanding student vocalists being trained full-time at Greater Grand Rapids-area colleges and universities to compete in a professional competition and to be recognized for excellence by a professional opera company. The participating students are asked to perform two arias in differing styles, languages and composers from opera and/or operetta.
Singers from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Hope and Western Michigan University competed in the February 28 event.
Both Meyer and Walsh were featured soloists during the college’s Musical Showcase concert held at DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids on Monday, March 3. Both also received Distinguished Artist Awards from Hope as incoming freshmen, and have participated in Hope vocal ensembles including the Chapel Choir, Women’s Chorus and College Chorus.
Walsh is a vocal music performance major. Her activities at Hope also include the Kappa Beta Phi (Dorian) sorority and the Nykerk Cup competition. She is a 2012 graduate of Evanston Township High School, and the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Walsh of Evanston.
Meyer is a psychology and biology major who is minoring in neuroscience. Her activities at the college have also included participating in cognitive and linguistic psychology research, and the Club Animalia student organization. She is a 2011 graduate of Lutheran High School Westland and the daughter of Daniel and Kelly Meyer of Dearborn.
Hope students won the Opera Grand Rapids Collegiate Competition in both 2011 and 2012, and placed third in 2013.