Glenn Korff School of Music senior Karin Berg placed in three categories of The Great Composers international music competition.
“Receiving these awards was exciting, and I’m very thankful for them,” Berg said. “I’m also grateful for the opportunity to share my singing in these unpredictable times.”
Berg, of Omaha, Nebraska, won first prize in her age category in the Art of Musical Theatre competition, where she performed “It Might As Well Be Spring” from “State Fair” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. She shared first prize in the Art of the Opera competition in her age category, where she sang “Mein Herr Marquis” from “Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II. She also won second prize in the Art of Art Song competition in her age category, where she sang Felix Mendelssohn’s “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges.”
The Great Composers competition is a series of international music competitions for young performers. The competitions are for instrumentalists (piano, strings, winds and percussion), singers (opera, sacred music, art song and musical theatre) and chamber groups.
“Karin has grown so much as a singer and an artist during her time at Nebraska,” said Associate Professor of Voice Jamie Reimer Seaman. “She is such a hard worker—I am so happy to see her efforts receive this important recognition.”
Berg said entering these competitions was good experience for her.
“To me, these competitions were useful learning experiences because they helped me get a clearer idea of where I am in my vocal development,” she said.
Berg is a fourth-year undergraduate student and the recipient of the Don and Carole Burt Vocal Excellence scholarship from the Glenn Korff School of Music for 2020. She was also a state finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) student auditions.
She recently made her international debut with the Austrian American Mozart Academy in Mozart’s “Bastien und Bastienne.” She has also appeared in several productions with the UNL Opera, including this fall’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” (Forester’s wife), “The Highest Yellow” (Asylum Patient/Swing) and “The Tender Land” (Mrs. Jenks).
Her collaborative pianist for all three competitions was Denis Plutalov.