The stakes were high – $25,000 – but Jenny Ivanovna still managed to have fun with her performance for the Wirth Vocal Prize – and win the competition.
“Backstage, I was so ready. I thought, what else can I do? Just trust whatever you have done until now,” she recalls telling herself.
It helps that Ivanovna was very prepared, in part thanks to teacher, Annamaria Popescu, an assistant professor in the Voice Area. “We thought about every detail: staging, the way I would breathe, what I would do after a piece. Those are little details you need to think about it. It makes a difference,” says Ivanovna.
She also chose music she really enjoys, including in her native tongue. “I love Spanish music … it’s very easy to sing, easy vowels, easy on the voice. That way I also share some of my culture.”
Plans for the future
When Ivanovna graduates with a master’s degree in Music Performance in Voice and Opera from McGill this spring, she’ll use some of the prize money to go to Europe to audition for coaches and programs.
“The Wirth Prize money makes this all possible,” says Ivanovna.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Wirth Vocal Prize. It was established in 2015 by Elizabeth Wirth, BA’64, to recognize a voice student at the Schulich School of Music who demonstrates exceptional talent and significant promise for an international career. The prize is one element of Wirth’s $7.5 million gift, which also provided endowed support to a Student Initiatives Fund as well as a suite of Student Excellence Awards.
The other two competing finalists for this year’s Wirth Vocal Prize, Sarah Dufresne and Joé Lampron-Dandonneau, were each awarded a $1,000 cash prize.
The McGill draw: studying with a fellow mezzo-soprano
After completing her undergraduate degree in Texas, Ivanovna’s first choice for graduate school was McGill. While researching what Schulich had to offer, she found out Popescu was a mezzo-soprano like herself.
“I had never had a chance to really study with a mezzo, it’s always been a male teacher, a baritone or tenor,” explains Ivanovna. “Popescu gave me a trial lesson and I loved it, because from the beginning she was very detailed, right away telling me what I needed to work on. She understands my passagio, where my voice changes.”
Dean Brenda Ravenscroft, Wirth Vocal Prize winner Jenny Ivanovna and Elizabeth Wirth (Tam Photography).
The atmosphere at McGill
Starting from the day of her audition at the Schulich School of Music, Ivanovna says she has felt welcome at McGill. “The singing world can be very competitive, but here, it’s so supportive. That really struck me when I arrived. Even at my audition, where I didn’t know anyone, when I finished, everyone congratulated me.”
She’s also impressed with the calibre of training she’s received: “There are so many coaching opportunities with different people, and it’s all about singing. McGill also gives Voice students funding for piano accompaniment, which I’ve never had. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s a huge support.”
Winning recital
As the Wirth Prize winner, Ivanovna will give a recital at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur on April 5, based on – but not identical to – her winning Wirth lineup.
“I want to keep some of the Spanish pieces and the last Rossini aria, but I also want to include another cycle of Mahler’s, and do some Italian songs. We’re still discussing,” she says.
Whatever songs Ivanovna and Popescu decide on, the audience is in for a treat.