VOCAL JUDGES

Angela Brown personifies the ideal soprano: sheer vocal power; luxurious finesse; and shimmering, high pianissimos. With captivating star power, she unites opera, pops, and gospel in one sensational voice. She has graced the leading opera and symphonic stages on six continents including Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, National Opera of Paris, Vienna State Opera, Capetown (South Africa) Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Philharmonic, Shanghai World Expo, Moscow Performing Arts Center, The Metropolitan Opera, Bilbao Opera, Teatro La Fenice, Hamburg Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and more. Angela has performed in recital throughout the United States, Canada, Spain, New Zealand, and Africa. 

Thomas Bankston - At the start of the 2001–2002 season, Tom Bankston assumed the position of Artistic Director for Dayton Opera on a full-time basis. In 2004, he was named General & Artistic Director of Dayton Opera. With responsibility for the selection of artists, creative and production staffs, season productions, and repertory for Dayton Opera, he brought to that position his many years of expertise in the field of opera, ranging from his experience as a singer to his varied and extensive experience as an arts administrator. In his 19 years on the staff of Cincinnati Opera, he served as Production Manager, Director of Education and Outreach, Director of Operations and Artistic Administrator.  Prior to his professional move into the world of arts administration, he sang as an operatic baritone and appeared with such companies as Pittsburgh Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Chamber Opera Theater and Whitewater Opera. He is also a sought-after adjudicator for vocal competitions throughout the region.

Audrey Luna has enjoyed a widely varied career singing dozens of opera roles, including Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Adina in L’elisir d’Amore, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La Boheme, Zdenka in Arabella, Elle in La Voix Humaine, Venus in La Grande Macabre, as well as oratorio, chamber music, solo recitals and contemporary music worldwide. She has concertized with such chamber musicians as: Hagen Quartet, Ravinius Trio, Bennewitz Quartet, Baseler String Quartet, Artis Quartet, Percussion Group Cincinnati, Brad Caldwell, Walter Levine, Allen Otte, Awadagin Pratt, Rainer Schmidt, James Tocco, at international festivals: Salzburger Festspiel, Luzerne Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiel, Mettlach Chamber Music Festival, Jerusalem Festival, Lexington Bach Festival, the Jerusalem Radio Festival, Shanghai Spring Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Luna teaches voice and Alexander Technique at Miami University and Songfest.

INSTRUMENTAL JUDGES

Anna Petrova, Piano - Bulgarian pianist Anna Petrova performs extensively as both soloist and chamber musician around the globe, and is the Co-Artistic Director of ATX Chamber Music and Jazz. She has been the recipient of top honors and awards at numerous competitions internationally, including the Queen Elisabeth and Jose Roca Competitions, MAW Alumni Enterprise Award, and the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture among many others. Petrova serves as the Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. She enjoys offering regular masterclasses around the world at institutions from the Beijing Central and Tianjin Conservatories in Asia, to the Jerusalem Music Center and Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in the Middle East, Musical Arts Madrid and FORUM Festival in Spain, Meadowmount School of Music and Manhattan School of Music in the US, and Memorial University in Canada.

Isaac Selya, Cellist, has extensive experience as a musician, entrepreneur, scholar, and educator. He is the Music Director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and founder and Artistic Director of Queen City Opera, where he has led acclaimed performances that combine high-caliber classical performances with contemporary relevance.  He conducted the Los Angeles stage premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta at Pacific Opera Project, in collaboration with the National Federation for the Blind, and with blind soprano Cristina Jones in the title role. He is one of the few conductors in the world who has conducted all of Mozart’s German-language operas, and he joined the Juilliard Opera as Assistant Conductor for their production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. He is finalist for the Music Director search at Cincinnati Ballet, where he will conduct the Cincinnati Symphony in 2025.

Manami White, Violinist, has performed both nationally and internationally with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and in numerous recital settings. An associate member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and an extra violinist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Manami is also concertmaster of Collegium Cincinnati, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and acting Principal Second violinist of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. In addition, she is guest concertmaster for other regional orchestras including the Ohio Valley Symphony, and the Richmond Symphony.  She has also toured internationally with the American Sinfonietta. Manami’s solo performances include appearances with the North Florida Symphony Orchestra, MUSE, and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. She has won First Prize honors in the Hemphill-Wells Sorantin Young Artist Competition, the Dorothy Starling Competition, and the concerto competition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Also an accomplished chamber musician, Manami has performed in the CCM Faculty and Alumni Chamber Music Series, the Taft Chamber Music Series, the Contemporary Arts Center Chamber Music Series and the Knox Music Series.  Manami is Adjunct Professor of Violin and Viola at Xavier University.