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The Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards (formerly the Great Elm Vocal Award and the Jackdaws Vocal Awards) is an annual singing competition for young vocalists between the ages of 22 and 30, giving them the chance to compete at international level. It was renamed the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards for 2011 following the death of its founder, Maureen Lehane Wishart on December 27th, 2010.

History

The Great Elm Vocal Award was established by soprano Maureen Lehane and was first held in 1992 using £10,000 donated by Rosemary Budgen, a notable benefactor in the West Country, who funded and supported the vocal awards until her death in 1995. They were named after the village of Great Elm in which Maureen lived and in whose village hall they were held.

The trust set up in the name of Rosemary Budgen continued to provide funding for the awards from her death until 2004, when other donors had to be found.

The first vocal awards were intended to be bi-annual and open only to residents of the West Country. From the beginning the requirements were for the vocalist to sing one Handel song, one song by Maureen Lehane's late husband Peter Wishart (composer) and a piece of their own choosing in a recital lasting no more than 15 minutes.

Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards 2011

The 2011 finals were held in the Wigmore Hall, London on the 21st October following preliminary rounds on the 15th and 16th October. The panel, consisting of Jackdaws Artistic Director Saffron van Zwanenberg, James Bowman (countertenor) CBE, Roger Vignoles and Sarah Walker (mezzo-soprano) CBE, decided on the following results:

1st prize - Marta Fontanals-Simmons (mezzo-soprano)
2nd prize - Andri Bjorn Robertsson (bass baritone)
3rd prize - Ben McAteer (baritone)
Accompanist prize - Timothy End (Marta Fontanals-Simmons)

The audience prize was decided by ballot and was awarded to Andri Bjorn Robertsson.

List of Previous Winners

The competition has been the start of careers for many singers.

1992 Jane Haughton - Mezzo-soprano
1994 Christopher Maltman - Baritone
1995 Mary Nelson - Soprano
1996 Sarah Fox - Soprano
1997 Timothy Mirfin - Bass
1998 Sophie Grimmer - Soprano
1999 Andrew Kennedy - Tenor
2000 James robinson - Bass
2001 Sonya Prentice - Soprano
2002 Amanda Echaluz - Soprano
2003 Shuna Scott Rendall - Soprano
2004 Dawid Kimberg - Baritone
2005 Verity Parker - Soprano, and Ben Johnson - Tenor
2006 Anna Leese - Soprano
2007
2008
2009
2010 Ruth Jenkins - Soprano
2011 Marta Fontanals-Simmons - Soprano