Grand Slam Grand Prizes at Orpheus National Music Competition for Vocalists   By Marci Janas '91 and Jennifer Spitulnik, ‘01
			Elizabeth DeShong Dr. Raphael Bundage, artistic director of the Orpheus 2001 National Music Competition for Vocalists, says that Oberlin has always done very well in the competition that is sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Choral Society, but this year's results were "remarkable." Sophomore Elizabeth DeShong, of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, walked away with the Grand Prize in the Student Division. And Kendall Marie Kookogey (BA, BMus '96)--in another stroke of coincidence, also from Pennsylvania--took the Grand Prize in the Young Artist Division. The Orpheus Competition was held in March at Middle Tennessee State University. "I didn’t really expect to win first place, though I had good feelings about how I performed," says DeShong. It was only the second time she has competed, but not the first time she won a top prize. Last April, she won first place in her division in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. Kookogey, who holds a master of music degree from the University of Georgia, studied with Associate Professor of Singing Richard Anderson at Oberlin. Last summer, she made her international debut in Salzburg, Austria, as Die Grafin in Die Hochzeit des Figaro. She says that the Orpheus Competition "was enjoyable, which is unusual! I greatly appreciated the wonderful people who were in charge." Kookogey, who offered works by Puccini, Mozart, Gounod and Duparc for the competition, says that for her, "singing is all about sharing an intimate part of myself and my love of music. If I can get that across in any situation, I have succeeded. I'm privileged that [the Orpheus adjudicators] thought I accomplished that." The Orpheus jury included John Keene, artistic director and conductor of New York City's Elysian Opera Group; Gail Robinson, Metropolitan Opera soprano and former director of the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Development Program; and Nora Sands, general director of the American Institute of Music Studies [AIMS]. DeShong presented works by Saint-Saëns, Menotti, Brahms, and Paul Bowles. "The competition was a great opportunity to see what singers at other schools are like," she says. "But really, I just wanted to perform well and enjoy myself." "Orpheus was a great opportunity for Liz," says her teacher, Professor of Singing Daune Mahy. I’m so pleased she was able to go. She has a beautiful voice with great promise, and she was well prepared for this competition." Besides a substantial cash prize and a scholarship to the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, DeShong thinks that winning the competition has boosted her confidence. "Because I was most likely the youngest competitor there, [winning] proved to me that I am capable of taking the skills I have developed at Oberlin and presenting them in a way that meets, or perhaps surpasses, other students in my age group," says DeShong. "It is comforting to know that the music I make is appealing to many groups of people, and not just those in my immediate musical environment." Next in store for DeShong is the role of Joanne in the Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program's May production of Stephen Sondheim's Company. This summer, she will attend the Chautauqua Institution’s prestigious voice program. In the long term, DeShong hopes to get a Master of Music degree and to continue expressing herself through music. "I never seriously wanted to do anything besides music. As long as I’m performing, I think I’ll be happy."
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