Caraluzzi Wins Jenny Lind

NEC Soprano Jennifer Caraluzzi ’11 M.M. Wins Jenny Lind Competition, April 24 in Bridgeport, Connecticut

(Connecticut Post photo)NEC soprano Jennifer Caraluzzi ‘11 M.M., a student of Carole Haber, has won the 2010 Jenny Lind Competition for coloratura sopranos sponsored by the Barnum Festival in Bridgeport, CT.  A native of Bethel, CT—the same town from which P.T. Barnum hailed, Caraluzzi won $2000, a concert engagement in Bridgeport, and a two-week concert tour of Sweden along with the winner of a similar competition in Sweden.  The Connecticut competition, now celebrating its 62nd year, pays tribute to the famous Swedish soprano, known as the “Swedish Nightingale,” who was brought to America on tour by Barnum, the great 19th Century showman.  This year marks Barnum’s 200th birthday.

Twelve singers, between 20 and 30 years old, competed in the semi finals.  To determine the winner in the close competition, the three finalists were asked by the judges to take part in a “sing-off.”  Afterwards, Caraluzzi described the tension she experienced: “I’m so excited my legs are shaking,” she told The Connecticut Post. “This was an incredible competition and all the girls were great.  After the first two (finalists) went before me and did so well, I knew I had to be nearly perfect.  But it was so close I wish we all could have won.”

Caraluzzi, who studied at Western Connecticut State University before coming to NEC, has sung operatic roles at Operafestival di Roma, the Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute in San Francisco, Western Connecticut State University and NEC. She is the recipient of the Florence C. Rowe Voice Scholarship.  The soprano can be heard May 3 and 4 in NEC’s Opera Scenes evenings at 8 p.m. in Brown Hall.

For further information, check the NEC Website. NEC’s Jordan Hall, Brown Hall, Williams Hall and the Keller Room are located at 30 Gainsborough St., corner of Huntington Ave. St. Botolph Hall is located at 241 St. Botolph St. between Gainsborough and Mass Ave.

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY

Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 720 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world.  Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars.  Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide.  Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions.  On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, Contemporary Improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors.  Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.

NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 106-year old, beautifully restored concert hall.  These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes.  Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.

NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.

Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
290 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
617-585-1143
Ellen.pfeifer@necmusic.edu