The Richard Tucker Music Foundation, founded in 1975, was created in honor of American opera singer

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticker ...

. The foundation is best known for awarding the annual Richard Tucker award, given to a young opera singer "on the threshold of a major international career," and for hosting the associated annual gala and concert.

Details

The Sara Tucker Study Grant awards US$5,000 unrestricted grants to singers under the age of 27 who are selected through a vocal competition. Applicants must be recent graduates from a university or music conservatory and should be making the transition from student to professional singer. A candidate should have recently completed a graduate degree program or work in a young artist or Apprentice program at a regional company. Notable winners of this award include:

Michael Maniaci Michael Maniaci (born May 3, 1976) is an American opera singer. Possessing a male soprano voice, Maniaci is noted for his claim to be able to sing into the upper soprano range without resorting to falsetto, an otherwise common phonation for men ...

(2002), Sarah Coburn (2004), and

Lisette Oropesa Lisette Oropesa (born September 29, 1983) is an American operatic soprano of Cuban ancestry. Her repertoire includes works from Gluck, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Massenet, Bellini and Puccini. With her lyric colorat ...

(2007). The Richard Tucker Career Grant awards US$10,000 unrestricted grants to singers, selected through a vocal competition, who have begun professional careers and who have already performed roles with opera companies nationally or internationally. A Career Grant candidate must be 36 years old or younger and should have a fair amount of performing experience in professional companies. Notable winners of this award include:

June Anderson June Anderson (born December 30, 1952) is an American dramatic coloratura soprano. She is known for ''bel canto'' performances of Rossini, Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. Subsequently, she has extended her repertoire to include a wide variety o ...

, Brian Asawa,

Harolyn Blackwell Harolyn Blackwell (born November 23, 1955) is an American lyric coloratura soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, recitals, and Broadway musicals. Initially known f ...

Stephanie Blythe Stephanie Blythe (born 1970) is an American mezzo-soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1990s. She is particularly associated with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with whom she has perfo ...

, Christine Goerke,

Susan Graham Susan Graham (born July 23, 1960) is an American mezzo-soprano. Life and career Susan Graham was born in Roswell, New Mexico on July 23, 1960. Raised in Midland, Texas, Graham is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of ...

Nathan Gunn Nathan T. Gunn (born November 26, 1970, in South Bend, Indiana) is an American operatic baritone who performs regularly around the world. He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he is currently a professor of voice ...

Jerry Hadley Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy Awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), ''Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awar ...

, John Keyes, Chris Merritt, Stephanie Novacek, and Chad Shelton. The Richard Tucker Award is awarded to a single performer who has "reached a high level of artistic accomplishment and who, in the opinion of a conferral panel, is on the threshold of a major international career". The Richard Tucker Award, which includes a $50,000 cash prize, is selected by committee and not audition. The operative guideline for the Richard Tucker Award is that it be awarded to "an American singer poised on the edge of a major national and international career, and it is hoped that the award acts as a well-timed catalyst to elevate the artist's career to even greater heights." The Richard Tucker Music Foundation also offers programs such as master classes and concerts in a variety of community settings which provide performance opportunities for award winners and enrich the cultural life of the communities in which they take place. These concerts are frequently broadcast on the radio.

Richard Tucker Award recipients

*1978

Rockwell Blake Rockwell Blake (born January 10, 1951) is an American operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in Rossini operas. He was the first winner of the Richard Tucker Award. Biography Born and raised in Plattsburgh, NY, Blake was the son of a ...

*1979

Diana Soviero Diana Soviero (born March 19, 1946, in Jersey City) is an American operatic soprano of international stature, a recipient of the Richard Tucker Award in 1979. Soviero studied at the Juilliard School of Music with Florence Berggren, Marinka Gure ...

*1980 Barry McCauley *1981 J. Patrick Raftery *1983

Susan Dunn Susan Dunn (born July 23, 1954) is a Grammy Award-winning American spinto soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, and concert performances. Dunn is particularly admire ...

*1984 Roger Roloff *1985 Aprile Millo *1986

Dolora Zajick Dolora Zajick (born 24 March 1952) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer who specializes in the Verdian repertoire. Zajick has been described as having "one of the greatest voices in the history of opera". Early life Born in Salem, Oregon, ...

*1987 Harry Dworchak *1988

Richard Leech Richard Leeper McClelland (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), known professionally as Richard Leech, was an Irish actor. Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McCl ...

*1989 Margaret Jane Wray *1990

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

*1991 No award given *1992

Deborah Voigt Deborah Joy Voigt (born August 4, 1960) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung roles in operas by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Biography and career Early life and education Deborah Joy Voigt was born into a religious Southern Baptist f ...

*1993 Ruth Ann Swenson *1994

Jennifer Larmore Jennifer Larmore (born June 21, 1958) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer, particularly noted for her performances in coloratura and bel canto roles which she has performed in the world's major opera houses.Slonimsky, Nicolas and Kuhn, Lau ...

*1995 Paul Groves *1996 Dwayne Croft *1997 David Daniels *1998

Patricia Racette Patricia Lynn Racette (born in 1965) is an American operatic soprano. A winner of the Richard Tucker Award in 1998, she has been a regular presence at major opera houses internationally. Racette has enjoyed long-term partnerships with the San Fra ...

*1999

*2000 Gregory Turay *2001 Christine Goerke *2002

Joyce DiDonato Joyce DiDonato (née Flaherty; born February 13, 1969) is an American opera singer and recitalist. A coloratura mezzo-soprano, she has performed operas and concert works spanning from the 19th-century Romantic era to those by Handel and Mozart. ...

*2003 John Relyea *2004

Matthew Polenzani Matthew Polenzani (born 1968) is an American lyric tenor. He has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Vienna State Opera, and San Francisco Opera, among others. He ...

*2005 Eric Cutler *2006 Lawrence Brownlee *2007 Brandon Jovanovich *2008 No award given *2009

Stephen Costello Stephen John Costello (born September 29, 1981 in Philadelphia) is an American operatic tenor and a recipient of the 2009 Richard Tucker Award.''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (April 17, 2009) Costello has performed in noted opera houses around the wor ...

*2010 James Valenti *2011

Angela Meade Angela Meade (born 1977) is an American operatic soprano. Life and career Meade has won more than 50 vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2007) and the Grand Prize at the Montreal International Music ...

*2012

Ailyn Pérez Ailyn Pérez (born August 15, 1979) is an American operatic soprano known for her interpretation of Violetta, Mimì and Thaïs. She is a 2019 Opera News Awards Honoree, and the winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award. In 2016, she received the ...

*2013

Isabel Leonard Isabel Leonard (born February 18, 1982) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer based in New York City. She is of Argentine ancestry on her mother's side. Education Leonard was born in New York City. For five years she sang with the Manhattan S ...

*2014

Michael Fabiano Michael Fabiano (born 8 May 1984) is an American operatic tenor. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, he has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera, Teatr ...

*2015 Jamie Barton *2016 Tamara Wilson *2017

Nadine Sierra Nadine Sierra (born May 14, 1988) is an American soprano. She is best known for her interpretation of Gilda in Verdi's ''Rigoletto,'' and Lucia in Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor.'' Currently performing in leading roles in the top opera houses ...

*2018 Christian Van Horn *2019

*2020 No Award Given *2021 No Award Given *2022

Angel Blue Angel Joy Blue (born May 3, 1984) is an American soprano. She won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of ''Porgy and Bess'' in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Her voice has been recognized for its sh ...

*2023 No Award Given *2024 Clay Hilley

References

External links

* {{Authority control Classical music awards Awards established in 1975 Arts foundations based in the United States Music organizations based in the United States Opera competitions 1975 establishments in New York (state)