Seattle Opera Announces Finalists for
2008 International Wagner Competition

Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins today announced the names of the eight finalists and two alternates selected for the second International Wagner Competition, which will be held at McCaw Hall in Seattle on August 16, 2008. The singers—all between the ages of 25 and 39—were nominated by agents, general directors, and other established opera professionals. They were then selected as finalists and alternates after auditions were held in Munich, London, New York, and Seattle. This August, these eight singers will compete for two $15,000 prizes in a concert conducted by Mr. Fisch. The second International Wagner Competition is once again made possible by a generous contribution from the Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences.

The finalists are:
Erin Caves, tenor, from Stockton, California
Jason Collins, tenor, from Beaufort/Seneca, South Carolina
Deborah Humble, mezzo-soprano, from Adelaide, Australia
Darren Jeffery, bass-baritone, from Cambridgeshire, England
Peter Lobert, bass, from Jena, Germany
Michael Weinius, tenor, from Stockholm, Sweden
Nadine Weissmann, mezzo-soprano, from Berlin, Germany
Elza van den Heever, soprano, from Johannesburg, South Africa

The alternates are:
Carla Thelen Hanson, soprano, from Rochester, Minnesota
Joni Henson, soprano, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

The judges for Seattle Opera’s second International Wagner Competition are an international group of authorities in all aspects of opera production—Hans-Joachim Frey, the general director and chief executive officer of the Theater Bremen, which includes Oper Bremen; tenor Ben Heppner, well known for his acclaimed performances of the Wagnerian repertoire; stage director Peter Kazaras, Artistic Director of Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program; Pamela Rosenberg, the administrative director of the Berlin Philharmonic and former general director of San Francisco Opera; Stephen Wadsworth, frequent director of Seattle Opera productions, including its highly praised 2001 and 2005 Ring cycles and upcoming 2009 Ring; and Eva Wagner-Pasquier, the daughter of Wolfgang Wagner and an artistic advisor to the Aix-en-Provence Festival. The competition will be conducted by Asher Fisch, Seattle Opera’s principal guest conductor.

Tickets will be available online on April 12, and by phone on April 14. For more information, please see the 2008 International Wagner Competition production webpage.