Schmidt Vocal Arts Announces Winners
of its First Regional Competition of the 2025-26 Season in Chicago
(L-R) Cooper Bott (2nd), Casey Schopflocher (1st), Vivian Furtaw (3rd)
Three Prizewinners Advance to National Competition in May
[Covington, KY, October 13, 2025]—Schmidt Vocal Arts(SVA), a national organization for pre-professional classical singers, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2025-26 Illinois Regional Competition, held at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL on Sunday, October 12, 2025.
First Place Casey Schopflocher, New York, New York
Second Place Cooper Bott, Marengo, Iowa
Third Place Vivian Furtaw, Alpena, Michigan
Thirty talented high school singers from 15 states across the Midwest and beyond competed for cash prizes and the opportunity to advance to Schmidt Vocal Arts’ National Competition in May 2026.
Sunday’s jury—Karen Brunssen, mezzo-soprano and Co-chair of Northwestern’s Department of Music Performance; tenor Stanford Olsen, Professor of Voice at the University of Michigan; and Casey Robards,Assistant Professor of Vocal Coaching at University of Illinois—selected ten singers for the final round, each of whom received a $250 award for advancing.
Three singers were selected for participation in a master class with the judges prior to the final round of competition. Four singers received cash awards of $100 in categories of Encouragement, Most Promising Sophomore, and Broadway Bound.
Finalists:
| Rowan | Barber | Interlochen Arts Academy | Traverse City | MI |
| Cooper | Bott | Williamsburg Jr.-Sr. High School | Marengo | IA |
| Jisu | Cheong | William Fremd High school | Palatine | IL |
| Vivian | Furtaw | Interlochen Arts Academy | Alpena | MI |
| Jonah | Groff | Marist High School | Chicago | IL |
| William | Murray | Interlochen Arts Academy | Grosse Pointe | MI |
| Ananya | Sathyanarayanan | Waubonsie Valley High School | Naperville | IL |
| Artemis | Scheiber-Loeis | Interlochen Arts Academy | New York | NY |
| Casey | Schopflocher | Special Music School | New York | NY |
| Alexander | Zampedri | Interlochen Arts Academy | Palmyra | PA |
ADDITIONAL PRIZES
Encouragement Award Darragh Hallinan, Darien, Connecticut
Encouragement Award James Pumphrey, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Broadway Bound Award Ananya Sathyanarayanan, Naperville, Illinois
Most Promising Alexandra Galyavina, Winnetka, Illinois
Sophomore
The three top prizewinners now advance to the National Competition in May 2026, and received awards of $2,500, $2,000, and $1,500. They are now also eligible to apply for college scholarships from Schmidt Vocal Arts, which awards more than $500,000 each year to its applicants to support their higher education.
“What an inspiring start to our 2025–26 season!” said SVA Executive Director Linda McAlister. “We were thrilled to spend the day hearing so many talented high school singers at Northwestern University’s beautiful Bienen School of Music, and I can’t wait to welcome the top three winners to perform on the stage of the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre at Sarasota Opera next May.”
Fifteen more regional competitions, as well as one online competition, for high school students take place across the country throughout the 2025-26 season prior to the National Competition in May 2026.
All Schmidt Vocal Arts programs are funded by the William E. Schmidt Foundation. Since debuting in 1997, the Schmidt Vocal Competitions have touched the lives of more than 6,500 developing singers, this year awarding a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and scholarships in pursuit of Schmidt Vocal Arts’ mission to foster a passion in young artists for classical singing and create opportunities to propel them on their journey toward a career in the arts.
ABOUT SCHMIDT VOCAL ARTS
Funded by the William E. Schmidt Foundation, Schmidt Vocal Arts is committed to fostering a passion for classical singing and to creating opportunities for young singers. Led by Executive Director Linda McAlister, Schmidt Vocal Arts boasts many accomplished alumni who have gone on to pursue music degrees and enjoy successful careers in the arts. The Schmidt Vocal Competitions—the oldest of the Foundation’s programs—have touched the lives of more than 5,000 developing high school and undergraduate singers, awarding a total of over $2 million in cash awards and scholarships since its debut in 1997. Other Schmidt Vocal Arts programs include:
- Schmidt Vocal Institute, a two-week intensive summer residential program where singers learn from world-renowned artists, participate in workshops and master classes, and perform with other talented musicians;
- Schmidt Vocal Education, offering regional and online programs for singers and teachers to learn, challenge themselves, and participate in performance experiences; and
- Schmidt Vocal Scholarships, a program that provides need-based support for talented singers continuing their professional vocal education.