Soprano Julia Bullock, who received her Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music in 2009, was named the winner of the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s International Vocal Competition following the finals in New York City on Friday, March 14.
The Naumburg international competitions rotate annually among voice, violin, and piano, and have been described by the New York Times as “the most prestigious of them all.” As winner, Bullock receives a $15,000 cash award, two concerts in New York City, and recital performances elsewhere.
Bullock’s 2013 appearances included the title role in Henry Purcell’s The Indian Queen at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Perm Opera and Ballet House in Russia, and the title role in Juilliard Opera’s The Cunning Little Vixen. She will also perform the title role in Cendrillon at Juilliard next month. Bullock has toured as Pamina in Peter Brook’s award-winning production of The Magic Flute, and sang the role of Gonzales in the 2010 premiere of Melissa Dunphy’s The Gonzales Cantata.
Dedicated to presenting literary art song repertoire in context-driven programming, Bullock has given recitals in Beijing, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and other cities. Writing about the soprano’s March 2 recital, Anne Midgette of The Washington Post noted, “This sound was beautiful because it meant something. Bullock is such a communicator that it was impossible to divorce the beauty of the notes from the content of what they were conveying.” Bullock made her New York recital debut on March 12, with New York Times writer Anthony Tommasini alluding to her “impressive artistry” and noting that her singing was “plush, full and nuanced.”
Bullock has performed contemporary works at the Ojai Music Festival and the MUSIC ALIVE! series and collaborated with early music ensembles, including the Clarion Music Society. She has also appeared with the New York Festival of Song at the Caramoor Festival, with the Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society at the Kimmel Center.
Bullock was the winner of the 2012 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and holds the Lindemann Vocal Chair of Young Concert Artists.
While at Eastman, where she studied with Carol Webber, Bullock was the recipient of the William Warfield Scholarship and had roles in Eastman Opera Theatre productions of The Medium and Le Nozze de Figaro. She earned her master’s degree at Bard College, where she was the first recipient of the Mimi Levitt Scholarship and won the school’s 2010 Concerto Competition. She currently studies at the Juilliard School with Edith Bers.
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