The Sembrich in Bolton Landing has announced they have given the Marcella Sembrich Memorial Performance Prize to American tenor Michael Butler. The venue has also received an award from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network.
The Sembrich features museum exhibitions and an annual summer festival with an exciting mix of world-class musicians, noted musical scholars, a free film series, and the opportunity to enjoy it all on the beautiful shores of Lake George. Listed on the National Historic Register, The Sembrich was once the teaching studio of Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich, one of the most famous musicians at the turn of the 20th century.
Visitors can discover her storied legacy, which includes over 400 performances at the Metropolitan Opera and faculty positions at both the Juilliard Graduate School and the Curtis Institute of Music. With a treasured museum, performance series, and over four wooded acres of nature paths to explore, The Sembrich is truly a unique cultural experience.
The Marcella Sembrich Memorial Performance Prize awarded to Michael Butler exemplifies the artistic legacy of Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich. The prize guarantees the selected singer a solo performance at The Sembrich, the famed singer’s former lakeside teaching studio in Bolton Landing on Lake George, during an upcoming season. The auditions were held on the weekend of October 12-13 at the Kosciuszko Foundation’s house in NYC.
Michael Butler hails from Washington, D.C. and is American lyric tenor. Of nearly 120 applicants, 34 singers were admitted to participate. Butler placed second in the overall competition and won the award for the best performance of a Polish work by a non-Polish entrant. The grand prize was awarded to Polish-American soprano Magdalena Kuźma, and third prize was awarded to Canadian contralto Rose Naggar-Tremblay.
Along with awarding a prize, The Sembrich has also received an award of their own. The 2024 Award for Excellence was given by The Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) for The Sembrich’s recent efforts to preserve Marcella Sembrich’s “Queen of the Night” costume. The museum staff attended the annual GHHN conference on Tuesday, October 15 to accept the award and present at an awardee poster session. The conference “Embracing Innovation,” was held at Manhattanville College in Purchase New York and was attended by museum professionals from across New York State.
GHHN is New York State’s ‘go-to’ service organization focusing on interpretation, collections care programming, and the conservation and preservation of objects in collecting institutions statewide. Its programming and professional development training programs, webinars, hands-on workshops, web-based resources, responsive technical assistance, and grant opportunities provide the tools so that historical societies, historic house museums, heritage centers, historic sites, archives, and libraries may better care for their own collections.
Greater Hudson Heritage Network’s Awards for Excellence program seeks to recognize and commend exceptional efforts among GHHN members. Awards are made to projects that exemplify creativity and professional vision resulting in a contribution to the preservation and interpretation of the historic scene, material culture, and diversity of the region.
For more information on The Sembrich, Marcella Sembrich Memorial Performance Prize, and the GHHN, click here.
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