Lawrenceville singer gets prize in vocal competition

Stephen Santana of Lawrenceville claimed one of four third-place awards recently in The Orpheus Vocal Competition sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Choral Society.

The 20-year-old Berry College (Rome, Ga.) tenor was among seven finalists,earning praise in the student category, which originally consisted of more than 100 singers. He sang “Una Furtiva Lagrima” from Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore,” “Total Eclipse” from Handel’s “Samson and Rodelinda,” and a Spanish folk song arrangement called “Noche Serena.”

He received a $500 prize. It is not the first prize Santana has earned for his vocals. Last April, he earned first place in the Atlanta Music Club Scholarship Competition and was the featured vocalist recently at Berry’s Scholarship Night celebration. That performance may be viewed at Berry’s Web site.

Santana’s next performance is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, April 5, in the Berry College Chapel. He will be tenor soloist in the Berry College Concert Choir and Orchestra’s presentation of Mozart’s “Requiem.”

Santana studies under Harry Musselwhite, senior lecturer in music and choral director at Berry. He is an early childhood education major.