The Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition

Photos: Tim Dwight

FINALISTS

Morgan Balfour, Soprano, holds a BM from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and an MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  Concert credits include Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, California Bach Society and Madison Bach Musicians.  Opera appearances with Pinchgut Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Brisbane Baroque Festival.

Eric Carey, Tenor, received his BM from the Peabody Conservatory and his MM from Bard College.  He was an Artist/Fellow in Renee Fleming’s SongStudio and a resident artist at the Boston University Opera Institute, with fellowships at Britten-Pears and Tanglewood.  Opera, oratorio and concert appearances include Boston Symphony, Odyssey Opera and Tanglewood.

Bradyn Debysingh, Haute-Contre, is currently pursuing an MM in voice and opera at Northwestern University. He holds a BFA in Musical Theater and a BA in Classics from Samford University.  His performance experience includes Northwestern Opera, Opera Birmingham, John G. Shedd Institute, master classes at Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and Musica in Laguna d’Arte in Chioggia, Italy.  He is also a trained dancer and writes poetry. SDG

Sophie Michaux, Mezzo-Soprano, holds a BA in Early Music from Haute École de Musique de Genève and a MM from Bard College.  Solo experience includes Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Cecilia, Boston Opera Collaborative, Fondazione Cini (Venice, Italy) and the Chorus of Westerly.

Bryan Murray, Baritone, received Master’s degrees in Opera Performance from the Purchase Conservatory of Music and the Yale School of Music.  He has appeared as a soloist with Teatro Gratacielo, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jacksonville Symphony and New Haven Symphony among others.  In 2019 he won the Grand Prize Premiere Opera Foundation / NYIOP International Vocal Competition.

Joseph Parrish, Baritone, graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in 2022, where he performed in opera and concert. A Tanglewood Fellow and a Metropolitan Opera National Council Encouragement Award winner, he has performed with the Lakes Area Music Festival, Festival Napa Valley, Cincinnati Opera and the Asheville Lyric Opera.

Julie Roset, Soprano, graduated with honors from the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève and is pursuing a professional diploma at the Juilliard School. In 2019, she was a member of the Académie at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and has performed with Opéra de Toulon, Opéra de Dijon and  Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.  She has released several recordings on the Ricercar label.

William Socolof, Bass-Baritone, hold BM, MM, and Artist Diploma in Artistic Studies (2022) from the Juilliard School. The First Prize winner in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he has concertized at Marlboro Music Festival and soloed with Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Among multiple Juilliard productions, he starred in Thomson’s The Mother of Us All with the NY Philharmonic.

PIANIST

Collaborative pianist Erika Switzer performs internationally in song and chamber music settings. She is artist-in-residence at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and co-directs the art song organization Sparks & Wiry Cries.