Six finalists have been chosen for the final in the fifth Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition 2021.

They are Jessica Cale (soprano), Frances Gregory (mezzo-soprano), Sophie Sparrow (soprano), Shafali Jalota (soprano), Dan D’Souza (baritone) and Cassandra Wright (soprano).

The final, which will be held in Oxford, is a chance to hear some remarkable performances.

Each singer will present a programme of around 20 minutes.

Judges for the competition include the renowned tenor Bonaventura Bottone, Royal Academy of Music vocal teacher Jennifer Dakin, and the accompanist and conductor Phillip Thomas, who was a vocal coach and répétiteur at ENO, and the official accompanist to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World for many years.

The first prize is £2,000, second prize £1,000 and there will also be a £600 Accompanists’ Prize.

The Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition was launched in 2013 to celebrate the company’s 20th birthday.

It nurtures some of the country’s most talented young professional singers aged 21-32 and their accompanists. The previous winners were mezzo-soprano Anna Starushkevych (2013), soprano Galina Averina (2015), mezzo-soprano Emma Stannard (2017), and soprano Lucy Anderson (2019).

In 2017 an Accompanists’ Prize was introduced, when the first winner was Keval Shah followed by Dylan Perez in 2019.

A number of singers who have appeared on the Bampton stage have gone on to work with national companies such as The Royal Opera, English National Opera and Opera North.

The final will be held on November 28 at 6pm at Holywell Music Room, Holywell Street, Oxford. Tickets cost £15 or £30 to include a post-event reception.

Student tickets at £5 can be purchased on the door only, subject to availability.

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