HILDEGARD BEHRENS FOUNDATION
~helping young artists reach their true artistic and humanitarian potential~
2021 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award
Eleventh Hildegard Behrens Foundation Humanitarian Award 2021 - to help young artists reach their true artistic and humanitarian potential The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and The Global Leaders Program received the 2021 award. Grantee institutions identify exceptional young artists, with keen musical intelligence and deep humanity, for professional training and performance opportunities, in honor of the legendary German dramatic soprano, Hildegard Behrens.
New York, NY. With great pleasure we announce the 11th annual Hildegard Behrens Prize, awarded to Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program soprano Jessica Faselt, from the United States. Ms. Faselt made her 2019 Met Live in HD debut as ‘Helmwige’ in Die Walküre, a role Behrens had sung nine years before her debut as ‘Brünnhilde’ at the Bayreuth Festival in 1983. The prize was presented to Jessica at a ceremony in the Metropolitan Opera Grand Tier on October 28th, 2020, anticipating the celebration of the 84th anniversary of Ms. Behrens’ birth today. To date, the prize has been granted to sopranos Layla Claire, Emalie Savoy, Ying Fang, Michelle Bradley, Hyesang Park, Gabriella Reyes and Yunuet Laguna; tenors Mario Chang and Kang Wang; and baritone Alexey Lavrov. The award commemorates one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos of the 20th century, whom The New York Times proclaimed a “supersoprano”, Opera News declared “The greatest living Brünnhilde”, and “The Incomparable Hildegard”, France’s Le Monde described as “Bouleversante” (Staggering)”, Vienna’s Der Standard affirmed “Die grandioseste Brünnhilde der letzten Jahrzehnte” (The most magnificent Brünnhilde of the last decades), and Germany’s Die Zeit pronounced “Gipfelstürmerin” (Conqueror of Summits). “One of the musical events of the century” quoted Munich’s Suddeutsche Zeitung the headlines garnered for her Salzburg Festival Elektra, in 1996, among the myriad accolades she received during her memorable life. The Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Nightly Met Opera Streams’ of the legendary production of the Ring des Nibelungen, as well as Zeffirelli’s cherished production of Tosca with Placido Domingo, have recently introduced new generations of audiences to the enduring standards that represent Hildegard Behrens’ unique artistry.
The Foundation further continues its role as co-founder and principal sponsor of The Global Leaders Program, an innovative nine-month Executive Graduate Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, Cultural Agency, Policy Leadership, Teaching Artistry and Organizational Management offered to a Global Cohort of 67 top musician innovators. Academically curated by nine world-class universities and think tanks including Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, McGill, New York University, and Bard College, the program connects a network of institutional fieldwork hosts spanning 40+ countries. Each year, the Foundation awards four of the most exceptional graduates, the distinguished Global Humanitarian Entrepreneur Prize, bestowed in Hildegard Behrens' memory.
The Foundation is once again extremely proud to announce the expansion of its Advisory Board to include another young member, Paige Coolidge, of New York City, an art history student at Harvard in Cambridge MA, and startup entrepreneur.
Lindemann Young Artist Development Program
The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, named after Mr. and Mrs. George Lindemann in recognition of their generous support, was founded in 1980 to help young artists transition to careers in opera. Since then, 181 artists have graduated from the program, with notable alumni including Stephanie Blythe, Charles Castronovo, Christine Goerke, Ryan Speedo Green, Erin Morley, Lisette Oropesa, Sondra Radvanovsky, and Russell Thomas. The program is considered one of the most prestigious of its kind because of the quality and scope of resources it makes available to the young singers, coaches, and pianists.
Diane Zola, Assistant General Manager at the Metropolitan Opera, said “On behalf of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera, I am thrilled that the Hildegard Behrens Foundation has recognized the extraordinary talent of soprano Jessica Faselt and awarded her their prestigious award in memory of one of the Met’s most esteemed dramatic sopranos, Hildegard Behrens.”
Ms. Faselt said “The 2021 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award has supported my career at such a poignant time for artists, and all humanity, and I am eternally grateful. I have immersed myself in interviews of Ms. Behrens and I could listen to her speak about opera and watch her in rehearsal clips for hours. My favorite quote from Ms. Behrens from an interview was when she was asked what she ultimately hopes to achieve on stage and she responded "That I become the most transparent instrument for what this role has to be". I hold Hildegard Behrens in such high regard and only wish I had the honor to meet her in person. Thank you to the foundation for believing in my future in opera."
http://www.metopera.org/about/who-we-are/lindemann-young-artist-development-program
The Global Leaders Program
The Global Leaders Program empowers a rising generation of changemakers in music to transform lives and communities through an innovative nine-month Executive Graduate Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, Cultural Agency, Policy Leadership, Teaching Artistry, and Organizational Management. Led in partnership with nine top universities and think tanks including Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, McGill, New York University, and Bard College; a world-class Faculty that includes Nobel Laureates, Grammy Winners, Polar Prize Recipients, and TED presenters; and a network of institutional fieldwork hosts spanning 40+ countries. The Program is offered annually to a select Cohort of 67 rising leaders in the field from around the globe. Participants are trained to succeed simultaneously as social entrepreneurs, youth mentors, community leaders, policy advocates, organizational managers, teaching artists, digital collaborators, cultural agents, and social value creators. Graduating members are transforming the paradigm of what it means to be a great artist, and working to ensure that music initiatives continue to serve and enrich communities for generations to come.
Mark Gillespie, Co-Founder of the Global Leaders Program, said “The Global Humanitarian Entrepreneur Prize was created in memory of Hildegard Behrens, whose exceptional humanity endeared her to local communities around the world. In the spirit of Behrens’ legacy, the Prize recognizes and celebrates exceptional initiatives by graduating GLP Cohort Members that foster excellence, innovation and impact in the arts.”
2021 Prize Recipients include Peace Drums (Israel), The Alliance for Music Education Equity (USA), and the Rwanda Academy of Music.
Hildegard Behrens Laureates
http://www.globalleadersprogram.com
The 2021 Hildegard Behrens Foundation award ceremony at the Metropolitan Opera Grand Tier, October 28th, 2020, with 2021 HBF prize winner Jessica Faselt, Metropolitan Opera Assistant General Manager Diane Zola, and Hildegard Behrens Foundation Chairman Dr. Gaston Ormazabal. Special thanks to Ms. Zola, and Kendall Hubert, Director of Leadership Gifts and Special Campaigns, for making this year's ceremony possible in a small and socially distanced setting.
(photos: Jonathan Tichler / Metropolitan Opera)
