Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton has won some of the biggest voice competitions in the opera world. Still, nothing prepared the listener for the sound of her voice, when she unleashed its full power in a Verdi aria at Cincinnati Opera’s “Opera in the Park” concert last weekend. Even outdoors, the enthusiastic audience seemed to know that this voice was something unusual and very special.
Read MoreBBC Cardiff Singer of the World is generally acknowledged to be the vocal competition to win. As this year's finalists gear up for another thrilling contest, the 2013 winner, mezzo Jamie Barton, offers them valuable advice.
Read MoreIn her home is a new piece of furniture Jamie Barton never imagined she would have. “I do have a trophy case now. It sounds horrible coming out of my mouth, but it’s true,” Barton, the Atlanta-based mezzo-soprano star, said in a visit to “City Lights.” “I am a very lucky girl," she added. On a brief respite from her busy concert schedule, Barton told host Lois Reitzes that her most recent honor, the Richard Tucker Award, carries a special distinction. “It’s different from the other things I’ve been lucky enough to win,” she said. The Richard Tucker Award is referred to as opera’s Heisman Trophy – a reference to the award given to the top player in college football. “If I have an actual trophy I’m going to take a photo me in a Heisman pose,” she said, laughing.
Read MoreJamie Barton is a rising star in the opera world. She’s just 33, but her voice has filled concert halls all over the world. She won both the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and the prestigious Robert Tucker Award – a $50,000 prize known as the “Heisman trophy of music.” Barton joins host Celeste Headlee to talk about her passion for singing and how she got her start in rural Rome, Georgia.
Read MoreMezzo Jamie Barton has been named as the winner of the 2015 Richard Tucker Award. One of opera’s most prestigious accolades, the award carries a cash prize of $50,000 and is bestowed annually on an American singer deemed to be on the threshold of a major international career by a panel of industry professionals. Previously, Barton was named as the winner of both the Main and Song prizes at the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and she was also a winner at the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 2012, the mezzo was a recipient of a Career Grant from the Tucker Foundation, and in 2014, she was named as the recipient of a Marian Anderson Award from the Kennedy Center.
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