Emily Ide was the first Bel canto Award Winner in the Voice Department's Honors Program. She is currently completing her junior year at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, studying musical theatre at CAP21. Professional roles include a principal role in Swing! Swing! Swing! at the Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury; ensemble in Finian's Rainbow at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton; bird/mouse/ensemble in A Year With Frog and Toad at Summer Theatre of New Canaan; and Grammy in Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse at Summer Theatre of New Canaan. She will be playing Mrs. Bedwin in Oliver at the Ivoryton Playhouse this summer. Roles at NYU-Tisch Mainstage include Mrs. Deers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and a leading role in Violet.  She was Josephine Strong and Penelope Pennywise understudy in Urinetown; Lydia Beaumont in My Sweet Edible You!, an original cabaret performed at Joe's Pub; ensemble in Assassins, and Mrs. Alec Davis in the new musical Rainbow Valley at the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Emily studied voice with Dr. Susan Mardinly at the Hartt Community Division; was the first recipient of the Bel canto Scholarship Award; a frequent soloist in recitals at the Community Division; a first place winner in the CTNational Association of Teachers of Singing; and received a scholarship from Musical Club of Hartford High School Competition.

Mrs. Eleanor Caplan with the three most recent Bel canto Scholarship recipients.  From left to right: Grace Elizabeth Nelson (2012 recipient), Mrs. Eleanor Caplan, Lauren Darnis (2011 recipient), and Jessica Rost (2010 recipient).

About the Bel canto Scholarship Award

The Bel canto Award is presented to a talented vocalist with a special interest in opera who has been nominated to perform in the Vocal Honors Concert and received a high number of points on their classical repertoire in the

Vocal Honors adjudication. The award is given to a student who exhibits commitment to vocal instruction and to the school, has steadily shown improvement during the current year and sings with expressive qualities and strong technique. Students in eleventh grade and lower are eligible. The scholarship is awarded at the Vocal Honors Concert each spring and pays for a portion of private lesson tuition at The Hartt School Community Division. We are grateful to Mrs. Eleanor Caplan, who has generously provided these scholarship monies.