GREENVILLE, S.C. (February 22, 2018) – Bob Jones University’s 2012 production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” directed by Dr. Darren Lawson and conducted by C. Stanley Eby, has been selected as a semi-finalist in the college/university opera performance division for the 2017-2018 American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts.
Lawson, dean of BJU’s School of Fine Arts and Communication, has also been selected as a semi-finalist for the American Prize in Stage Direction for his work with this production.
“BJU’s ‘Il Trovatore’ cast, orchestra, and crew were outstanding,” said Lawson. “I am so pleased that they advanced to the semi-final round of the American Prize competition in opera.”
Other semi-finalists in the competition include productions from Messiah College, Yale College, Lawrence University, Florida State University, Oklahoma State University, Sam Houston State University, West Chester University, Arizona State University, University of Delaware, University of South Dakota, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and The Crane School of Music, SUNY-Potsdam.
Founded in 2009, the American Prize is a series of new, non-profit national competitions in the performing arts awarded annually. The competitions provide cash awards, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition for the best recorded performances by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States at the professional, college/university, church, community and secondary school levels.
Finalists and winners of The American Prize will be announced in the next several months.
