Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Miller. They and their team shared their story with us below:
In 2020, Mr. Robert Barbera of the Barbera Foundation started the 501 c-3 non-profit organization called the Pasadena Vocal Competition. Why, because he’s Italian and LOVES Opera! During our annual live final round, the PVC has given away over $25,000 to some of the brightest rising young stars of the opera world from a national cast of applicants. Past winners include Baritone Blake Denson, Soprano Magdalena Kužma, Mezzo-soprano Sarah Satunrino, and Soprano Jana McIntyre, just to name a few. Without enthusiastic, art-loving philanthropists like Mr. Barbera and funding from the Pasadena Area Opera Trust, this opportunity for young singers to take home some much-needed prize money to help support their education and career expenses would not be possible. Opera is simply one of the most honest performing endeavors…. no mics…. never a night of lip-syncing from those singers on the opera house stage, Lol! It’s an art form that involves discipline…. no drinking and partying the night before a performance…studying foreign languages, acting, musicianship, and avoiding the common cold like the plague!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The PVC started out as the Mentoris Vocal Competition as part of the Pasadena Opera Guild. Sadly, the Guild folded, similarly to what has recently happened to the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York City. Funding and interest for this great art from has slowly been in decline for the past few decades in the United States. But we are thrilled to say that we had a wonderful audience for the ’23 PVC, despite the rainy weather, and we are slowly building up a donor base. Our once a year event is free and open to the public! We hope all Angelinos will attend the PVC final round live concert this February at Pasadena City College to cheer on this next generation of operatic super-stars!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As the Artistic Director of the Pasadena Vocal Competition, it is my artistic vision to keep opera alive and thriving in all of Southern California. Not only do I play the piano for all the singers for the semi-final and final rounds of the Competition, I also seek out audience members and donors to facilitate this endeavor. I grew up with opera in my home, with my Dad blasting operas on his LP record player from Leontyne Price singing Pace, Pace to the monologue of Boris Godunov. With my Mom as a piano teacher, classical music was always filling the cracks and crevices of our home 24/7. After I graduated from USC with a degree in Piano Accompanying, I decided to specialize in working with classical singers and obtained a Fulbright to the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary and went on to the Juilliard School for my Master’s Degree in Piano Accompanying. Now, I specialize in working with opera singers at the San Diego Opera, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Dolora Zajick Institute for Dramatic Voices Summer Program in Reno, Nevada. I am proud of making the PVC a contributing factor to the success of opera in the United States by granting funding to young singers so that they can perfect their skills with voice lessons and coaching, take auditions all over the country, and pay for those tuxes and gowns! I also want to give a big shout out to the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Zachary Competition and the Laffont Vocal Competition, which is part of the Metropolitan Opera. It is because of the unending support of generous donors that these wonderful competition opportunities are available to the next generation of opera stars.
How do you define success?
These days, success is happiness, plain and simple. For a young aspiring opera singer, success can be the thrill of winning a prize in a Vocal Competition or singing with the Los Angeles Master Chorale or Los Angeles Opera Chorus. It can also be the thrill of singing a solo at Church or being the cantor for the Synagogue. For an Angelino, success can be the joy of attending a classical music concert at the Hollywood Bowl or a free concert at a house of worship or University setting. Ultimately, success nowadays is defined as waking up every day and being grateful for the wonderfully diverse Southern California cultural opportunities that are available to all of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: PasadenaVocalCompetition.org
- Facebook: Pasadena Vocal Competition
- Youtube: Pasadena Vocal Competition
Image Credits
PVC winners in both photos: Soprano Jana McIntyre Mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, Mezzo-soprano Edith Grossman, Baritone Michael J Hawk, soprano Caroline Corrales, Soprano Adia Evans, Tenor Xavier Prado, Baritone Schyler Vargas Photo 1010: Soprano Adia Evans Photo 1116 Catherine Miller and Schyler Vargas Photo 7343 tenor Xavier Prado
