Jones wins Eastman opera competition

Jones

Evan Jones, a 1995 graduate of Williamsville North High School, has won the Friends of Eastman Opera Voice Competition held at Eastman School of Music on Nov. 17 in Rochester.

During the competition, eight students were selected from a preliminary round of 26 competitors who were judged by a panel of Eastman School voice and opera faculty. The adjudicator for the finals was Darren K. Woods, general director of the Fort Worth Opera and a frequent vocal competition judge.

For the finals, singers prepared three arias in two different languages; each sang a work of his or her choice, with the adjudicator picking the second aria. The first prize of $1,000 is the Lynne Clarke Vocal Prize, donated by Friends of Eastman Opera founding member John Clarke in memory of his wife.

Jones is a baritone in his second year of a doctoral of music arts degree at the Eastman School of Music. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Florida State University and plans to pursue a career in performing and teaching upon graduating.

He is married to Sara Rose of East Amherst and is the son of Tom and Jennifer Jones of Amherst.