News & Features
AUGUST 5, 2020
Opera and the McCammon Voice Competition Committee cancel 2020 event
Fort Worth Opera (FWO) and the McCammon Voice Competition Committee announced August 5 that the 2020 Competition has been cancelled due to uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The committee has informed each of the 30 semi-finalists (...)
- FWBP Staff, Fort Worth Business
JULY 31, 2020
Local Opera Singer Hopeful for the Future of Opera Events
Entertainment venues across the nation continue to stay closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and one local opera singer has felt the effects. Opera singer and Mid-Prairie alumna Jessica Faselt had plans to perform in Texas and overseas in February, but had to cancel as the COVID-19 outbreak came to the state of New York, where she has been living. While she is employed through the Metropolitan Opera House (...)
- Tyler Brunnel, KCII Radio
JULY 30, 2020
In Touch With Southeast Iowa - Local Opera Singer Wins International Award
Opera Singer Jessica Faselt talks about her experience winning the George London Foundation Opera Award and how she has cooped without live performances during the COVID-19 pandemic on today’s In Touch With Southeast Iowa program.
- Tyler Brunnel, KCII Radio
MARCH 20, 2020
Forth Worth Opera and McCammon Voice Competition Announces Semi-Finalists
Fort Worth Opera and the McCammon Voice Competition have announced the 29 artists who made it into the semi-finals of their biennial competition.
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The semifinalists SeokJong Baek, Rachel Blaustein, Leah Brzyski, Teresa Castillo, Wonjin Choi, Taylor Comstock, Joshua Conyers, Sylvia D’Eramo, Jesse Donner, Dylan Elza, Jessica Faselt (...)
- Logan Martell, Operawire
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
George London Foundation Announces 2020 Competition Finalists
The George London Foundation has announced the 2020 finalists for its 2020 George London Award Competition.
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This year, the finalists are Justin Austin, Katherine Beck, Danielle Beckvermit, Nicole Brooks, Lindsay Kate Brown, Teresa Castillo, Terrence Chin-Loy, Cheyanne Coss, Monica Dewey, Jessica Faselt, Ryan Johnson, Alisa Jordheim, Tesia Kwarteng, Anne Maguire, and Jana McIntyre.
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The finals will take place (...)
NOVEMBER 12, 2019
Katia Ricciarelli, Sumi Jo Among Those To Be Honored At Callas Tribute Prize NY
Melos International will present the Callas Tribute Prize NY on Nov. 25, 2019.
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The event, which will take place at Columbia Unviersity’s historic Italian Academy, will feature global dignitaries, prize recipients, and renowned performers. The date was specifically chosen to honor Callas on “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.” Among the Awards Recipients will be famed soprano Katia Ricciarelli, soprano Sumi Jo, soprano Jessica Faselt (...)
APRIL 8, 2019
Soprano Lisette Oropesa Named as Winner of 2019 Richard Tucker Award
In addition to the announcement of the Tucker Award, the Tucker Foundation announced that it had also given study and career grants to ten additional young American artists. Richard Tucker Career Grants of $10,000 each were awarded to sopranos Gabriella Reyes and Laura Wilde along with baritone Will Liverman; and Sara Tucker Study Grants of $5,000 were given to six young artists just beginning their professional careers: sopranos Mathilda Edge, Jessica Faselt, and Alexandria Shiner; mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker; and tenors Miles Mykkanen and Richard Trey Smagur (...)
MARCH 27, 2019
BWW Showstopper: Ride 'Em, Valkyries, in Part Two of the Met's RING CYCLE
"So three cheers for Wendy Bryn Harmer as a stellar Ortlinde and her glorious sisters-Kelly Cae Horgan (Gerhilde), Jessica Faselt (Helmwige), Renee Tatum (Waltraute), Daryl Freedman (a debut as Schwertleite), Eve Gigliotti (Siegrune), Maya Lahyani (Grimgerde) and Mary Phillips (Rossweisse)!" (...)
SEPTEMBER 3, 2018
A Star Soprano is Born
Jessica Faselt stood in front of nearly 4,000 industry professionals and opera aficionados at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, ready for the biggest performance of her young career. With the house lights shining down and full orchestra at hand, Faselt was taking part in the finals of the National Council Auditions, an annual competition meant to introduce—and crown—rising stars in the opera world.
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Faselt's journey to one of the world's most renowned opera stages started at her alma mater: the University of Iowa. With the encouragement (...)
- Ben Frotscher, Iowa Magazine
AUGUST 31, 2018
Met Opera Radio 2018-2019 National Council Finals Concert
Five Young Singers Named 2018 Winners of America’s Most Prestigious Vocal Competition, The Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. They will perform on this concert before a live audience. This year’s winners are Jessica Faselt, 25, soprano (Upper Midwest Region: Iowa City, IA); Madison Leonard, 26, soprano (Middle Atlantic Region: Coeur d’Alene, ID); Ashley Dixon, 26, mezzo-soprano (Northwest Region: Peachtree, GA); Hongni Wu, 23, mezzo-soprano (...)
- Red River Radio
AUGUST 2, 2018
Met Opera Announces 9 New Lindemann Young Artists For 2018-19
The Met Opera has announced the nine new participants in its Lindemann Young Artist Program, as well as the seven that will be returning for their second year.
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This year’s first-time participants include tenor Mario Bahg, soprano Jessica Faselt, coach and pianist Derrick Goff, mezzo-soprano Megan Grey, soprano Leah Hawkins, tenor Brian Michael Moore, coach and pianist Katelan Terrell, tenor Arseny Yakovlev (...)
- David Salazar, Operawire
JUNE 6, 2018
Iowa Soprano's Voice and Career Soar with the NYC Metropolitan Opera
Growing up outside of Kalona, Jessica Faselt didn't come from a particularly musical family. She sang in choir when she was a child, but didn’t realize the power of her voice until a concert in high school where she sang "O Holy Night" and brought the crowd to tears.
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After this experience, Faselt went on to study vocal performance at the University of Iowa. It was there that she discovered her passion (...)
- Charity Nebbe, Iowa Public Radio
MAY 21, 2018
The Met Opera crowns Iowa City's Jessica Faselt an opera star
The stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City is musical hallowed ground. The most respected opera singers have performed there: Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming and Luciano Pavarotti are just a few.
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You can now add Iowa City's Jessica Faselt to that list.
On April 29, 25-year-old Faselt took the stage for the grand finals of the Met's National Council Auditions (...)
- Zach Berg, Iowa City Press-Citizen
MAY 18, 2018
Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions
After many months of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, five singers have been named as the winners of the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Each winner receives a $15,000 cash prize and the exposure that comes with winning the competition that launched the careers of many of opera’s biggest stars.
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This year’s winners are Jessica Faselt, 25, soprano (Upper Midwest Region: Iowa City, IA) (...)
- Debbie Poltorak, Interlochen Public Radio
MAY 10, 2018
Iowa City born Jessica Faselt wins opera award
During her sophomore year at the University of Iowa, Jessica Faselt took a trip to New York City. Faselt, an aspiring opera singer at the time, made it a point to visit the Metropolitan Opera House, the largest in the Americas.
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She and her brother went to the opera facility early one day with the intent of getting a backstage tour. They were in luck and received the final two tickets for the day. The tour group was eventually taken on the stage itself (...)
- Paul Elwell, The Daily Iowan
