Benjamin Grigoriou
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018-2019 Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship, a scholarship program for young singers.
One of the new Fellows for the 2018-2019 season is Benjamin Grigoriou of Suffield, who attends Suffield High School. The Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship is a full scholarship vocal training program for a select number of very talented and highly-motivated high school-aged singers interested in classical and theatrical music. The Fellowship fosters the education and careers of young, serious singers through private voice lessons, vocal coaching, musical skills, master classes and performance opportunities. There are a total of seven Fellows. Over 40 students from across Connecticut applied for the scholarships this year and four were awarded positions in the program. Students must submit an application and complete a two-day audition. A panel comprising the Fellowship director, other professional singers and vocal coaches judge the applicants according to several criteria, including vocal quality, technique, interpretation and personal expression.
The students awarded the Fellowship are invited to join a rigorous musical experience that will expand their vocal skills, encourage personal growth and character development. Fellows commit to one hour private lessons each week in three areas throughout the duration of the program: vocal performance and classical training, vocal coaching and musical skills. In addition to the expectations the program places on daily and weekly rehearsal practice, master classes are held each month at The Bushnell led by the artistic director and distinguished guest artists within specialties that include cabaret, musical theater, opera and audition techniques among others. The Fellows are also invited to attend workshops and select performances at The Bushnell and other venues in Connecticut. The culmination of each year is a spring concert held at The Bushnell’s Belding Theater that features the Fellows performing vocal pieces reflective of the prior year’s training in classical and musical theater repertoire.
The Fellowship is made possible through a generous gift from the Darling family of Simsbury.