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Natalie Lewis ’21, a voice alumna from the UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance, took first place in the Houston Grand Opera’s “Concert of Arias,” which took place earlier in February.

The competition is held annually to identify candidates for HGO’s internationally acclaimed young artist training program, the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio. HGO narrowed the field of over 900 applicants down to eight talented finalists for the final round of the competition, which took place before a packed audience at the Alice and George Brown Theater. In addition to $10,000 in prize money, Lewis was also selected for the Online Viewers’ Choice Award by those watching the live stream via Facebook and YouTube; the full competition can be viewed via Facebook, with Lewis’ performance beginning at approx. 1:20:00.

Lewis’ win is the latest accomplishment in the singer's already-impressive career. In 2021, just prior to her graduation from UMass, Lewis was awarded a prestigious Kovner Fellowship to attend The Juilliard School in New York City so that she could pursue her Master of Music in Vocal Arts.

Lewis distinguished herself during her time at UMass through her participation in the UMass Chamber Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and in productions like Mozart’s The Magic Flute by UMass Opera, in which she performed the role of Third Lady to the Queen of the Night.

Natalie has participated in numerous summer young artist programs including Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artists’ Vocal Academy, Opera Neo, the American Institute for Music Studies in Graz, Austria, and Aspen Music Festival, where she worked with Renee Fleming and Maestro Patrick Summers as a Fleming Artist. This summer, Lewis will take part in San Francisco Opera’s Merola program where she will perform the titular role in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. Lewis will make her Carnegie Hall debut in April 2023 singing the alto solos in Marianna Martines’ Dixit Dominus and Bela Bartók’s Three Village Scenes with the Cecilia Chorus of New York.

Lewis commented, "After we all sang I truly didn’t know who would win; this art form is painfully subjective and I personally thought we all gave winning performances! I was quite surprised when they called my name, but was so grateful and happy! Truly a highlight in my career thus far."

Watch her winning performance.