La Sierra vocal majors compete for prizes at Musical Review

“A Musical Review” will take place on Sat., May 20 at 8:15 p.m. and will feature the 2017 Marguerite Marsh Vocal Competition finalists Sandra Fermin, Anthony Leon, and Daphne Leon. Past winners from the 2016 competition will also perform opera arias. The event will lead into Broadway selections performed by students in the music department, accompanied by piano and the La Sierra String Chamber Orchestra. Director of Choral Studies Raejin Lee serves as the production’s director.

Each finalist will perform three selections from classical vocal repertoire. The competition awards are $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third. The winner will be announced during the event. Winners from the 2016 competition are first-place returning contestant Anthony Leon, second-place winner Susana Leiva, and third-place winner Stephanie Perez.

The Musical Review’s 18-member cast was selected through an audition process and consists mostly of vocal major students, active voice ensemble members, and some alums. The singers from the competition will also join the Music Review. Performer’s certificate senior Michael Patterson will serve as conductor, Shane Wood as stage director, Sara Pinto de Silva as stage manager, Paul Cardon as sound technician, and Jonathan Keplinger as pianist.

The performance will include songs like “I Could Have Danced All Night,” from “My Fair Lady,” “Loathing,” from “Wicked,” “Agony,” from “Into the Woods,” “One Day More,” from “Les Miserables,” and more.

Marguerite Marsh, 1948 graduate of La Sierra’s Department of Music, established this annual scholarship competition to create opportunities for young singers who are pursuing careers in professional classical singing or as a director or teacher of choral music.