Dr. Briggs founded Fresno State Art Song Festival in 2017 with a purpose of promoting the genre of art song, including contemporary and newly composed songs. To date, festival premiered 36 new art songs by student composers. The festival hosts three competitions and attracts stellar guest faculty.
We are proud to provide a performance, collaboration, competition and presentation platform for composers, poets, pianists and singers who are seeking to collaborate, grow and connect with other artists! The festival also creates opportunities for young artists working on bridging the gap between studies and profession: our certificates, awards, press releases and other publicity create outstanding addition to the young artists’ portfolios. The festival attracts stellar national and international guest faculty that work with our participants for two days. Events include: vocal masterclasses, lectures, concerts, poetry competition, composition competition and vocal competition.
Every year festival guest faculty includes opera industry professionals as well poetry faculty, composition, collaborative piano, dance, sports psychology, kinesiology, musicology and other disciplines.
2017
Thomas Michael Allen, tenor 2024
Maya Kherani, soprano
2024
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano 2023
Alex Hahn, bass 2023
Kurt Erickson, composition 2021, 2022, 2023
Heidi Moss, soprano 2022
Gerald Finley, bass baritone 2021
Anke Hoepner, soprano 2021
Julia Nielsen, soprano 2021
Anton Belov, baritone 2019, 2022
Alex Boyer, tenor 2018
Vladimir Chernov, baritone 2018
Robin Fisher, soprano 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
Juan Felipe Herrera, poet laureate 2018, 2019
2024
Judge's Prize: Emily Lopez, soprano
Audience Prize: Alejandra Tejeda, mezzo-soprano
2023
Judges’ Prize: Michael Balerite, baritone
Audience prize: Gena Chambers, mezzo-soprano
2022
Judges’ Prize: Kailey Diggs, soprano
Audience prize: Pardees Fayed, soprano Aunika Bull, soprano
2021
Judges’ prize: Lana Kains, soprano & Jeremey Boulton, baritone
Audience Prize: Joshua Bravo, baritone
2020
Judges’ prize: Katie La Blue, soprano
Audience prize: Jordan Pulido, tenor
2019
Judges’ Prize: Amandine Edwards
Audience prize: Valrie Childress
2018
Judges’ Prize: Tiffanie Trujillo, soprano
2024
Judge's Prize: Christian Herrera
Audience Prize: Nathaniel Morris
2023
Judges’ Prize: Marcus Overacker
Audience Prize: Daniel Murray
2022
Judges’ Prize: Dalton Morris
Audience Prize: Xavier Bueno
2021
Judge’s Prize: Micah Byers
Judge’s Prize: Micah Byers
2020
Judge’s Prize: Christian Cruz
Audience prize: Christian Cruz
2019
Judges’ prize: Mason Lamb
Audience Prize: Samuel Montgomery
2024
Stella Luna Velez: "In the Instance of Life"
2023
Sharon K. McClain “Unearthing Home/Short Version”, “Unearthing Home/Long Version”
2022
Brian Rojas “Ascend to Heaven to hear these songs and collect your flowers on Earth”
2021
Bradley Samore, “Visiting the Shinzen Friendship Garden”
2020
Competition art song were set to “So together” by poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera
Check out this great video
Copyright © 2024 Maria Okunev-Briggs, soprano - All Rights Reserved.
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