We are delighted to inform you that Helena Dix, winner of the 2012 Wagner Society Bayreuth Bursary competition, has been chosen to go forward to the next round of the International Competition for Wagner Voices 2012. We are very proud that she will be representing The Wagner Society in this event.
Our President, Dame Gwyneth Jones, will be one of the judges.
Helena was one of 36 candidates (out of 110 that applied) chosen to go forward to the next round, which will be held in Bayreuth, during the week of the Bursary in August.
If she is successful in this next round, Helena will travel to Karlsruhe in October for the semi-finals, and, we hope, the finals.
I am sure you will all join me in wishing her the very best in this competition.
I will be going to Bayreuth and to Karlsruhe to cheer her on,
and will keep you all posted.
Andrea Buchanan
Bayreuth Bursary Administrator
UPDATE I have recently returned from Bayreuth, where the second round of the International
Competition for Wagner Voices 2012 took place. Our Bursary winner for 2012, Helena
Dix, was in Bayreuth to see three operas and to take part in the annual Stipendienstiftung
programme, her prize for winning last December. While there, she competed in the
second round of the competition, having been chosen to take part earlier in the year
from her submission and a CD recording. The judging panel included Eva Wagner-Pasquier,
Professor Eva Maertson, President of the Richard Wagner Verband International, Dame
Gwyneth Jones and Hans Sotin.
I am delighted to inform you that Helena has now been selected to participate in
the semi-finals (and then, we hope the finals) which will take place in Karlsruhe
in October. We are tremendously pleased and proud that Helena has done so well and
I'm sure you will all join me in wishing her the very best for the next stage of
the competition.
She also took part in a Stipendiatenkonzert in Bayreuth, where she performed her
Bursary winning aria "Der Männer Sippe" to considerable acclaim. The concert was
attended by Eva Wagner-Pasquier, Verena Lafferentz-Wagner and Irene Theorin, as well
as officials from many European Wagner Societies. The standard of all the performances
was extremely high and, again, we were very proud that our Wagner Society was so
well represented. Andrea
