On February 13, the rising stars of the Ensemble Studio competed in the fourth biennial Christina and Louis Quilico Awards. The singers were accompanied by Ensemble Studio pianists/intern coaches Hyejin Kwon and Stéphane Mayer, and the evening was judged by COC General Director Alexander Neef, COC Chorus Master Sandra Horst, and internationally acclaimed soprano Adrianne Pieczonka. Mezzo-soprano Emily D'Angelo and soprano Danika Lorèn shared the top prize, taking home $4,000 each, while tenor Charles Sy won $2,000. The event took place in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts as a part of the Free Concert Series. Here are some of our favourite photos from the evening!

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Emily D'Angelo – Mezzo-Soprano

Emily D'Angelo, accompanied here by Stéphane Mayer, sang "Non piú mesta" from Rossini's La Cenerentola and "Coeur sans amour" from Massenet's Cendrillon.

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DANIKA LORÈN – SOPRANO

Danika Lorèn, accompanied here by Hyejin Kwon, sang "Il primo ardor" from Handel's Ariodante and "Caro nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto.

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CHARLES SY – TENOR

Charles Sy, accompanied here by Stéphane Mayer, prepared "I must with speed amuse her" from Handel's Semele and "Ah! Lève-toi, soleil!" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.

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Lauren Eberwein – Mezzo-soprano

 
Lauren Eberwein, accompanied here by Hyejin Kwon with Stéphane Mayer page-turning, prepared "Wie du warst" from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and "Sgombra è la sacra selva" from Bellini's Norma.

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BRUNO ROY – BARITONE

Bruno Roy sang "Oh! Oh! Qu'est-ce que c'est?" from Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and "Lieben, Hassen, Hoffen, Zagen" from Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos.

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This year's competition was generously supported by Burgundy Asset Management and Gluskin Sheff Asset Management and was administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation.

Banner photo: (l-r) Ontario Arts Foundation Executive Director Alan Walker, Christina Petrowska Quilico, Charles Sy, COC Chorus Master Sandra Horst, Danika Lorèn and Emily D'Angelo, Adrianne Pieczonka, and COC General Director Alexander Neef. All photos by Chris Hutcheson.