Congratulations to Lilliana Mindel, the first place winner at the national Schmidt Vocal Competition this year. Mindel will enter UCLA this Fall as a Regents Scholar, and will study voice at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
The Schmidt Vocal Competition for High School Students occurs on both a regional and national scale. First, second and third place winners of regional competitions travel to Sarasota, Florida. Mindel, who also won Grand Prize in the 2023 Music Center Spotlight Awards as a high school junior, was one of more than a hundred aspiring vocalists who placed regionally and then earned the right to compete nationally. Vocalists prepare three pieces and perform in two rounds of competition. The final round judges were Ian Derrer, the general director and CEO of the Dallas Opera, Ana María Martínez, professor of voice at Rice University, and Grammy Award-nominated tenor Barry Banks. Mindel led both rounds with “Oh Quante Volte” from Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi.
“I love singing heartfelt, beautiful legato pieces,” said Mindel. “Something about the dissonance and the melody in “Oh Quante Volte” is just heartbreaking. And I love music from the Bel Canto era because you get to express character’s deep emotions through dynamics and, hopefully, move the audience.”
Professor Juliana Gondek has been Mindel’s voice teacher this past year. “Congratulations to Lili,” she said. “Her mature artistry and warm sound are remarkable in such a young singer. We’re looking forward to watching her grow in UCLA’s Voice program.”
Mindel is a recipient of a UCLA Regents Scholarship. Established in 1962, this merit-based scholarship is awarded to recipients who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership and exceptional promise, and is one of the highest honors accorded to incoming students.
“I’m so excited to be attending The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music,” said Mindel. “I can’t wait to have the opportunity to learn and collaborate with my peers and to continue to work with Professor Gondek.”