The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music and the Glimmerglass Festival join in announcing an exciting collaboration. The Foundation is undertaking an annual sponsorship of a Kurt Weill/Lotte Lenya Glimmerglass Young Artist, a talented emerging singer who has previously reached the finals of the Lotte Lenya Competition.

Many finalists and winners of the Lenya Competition have gone on to enjoy major careers. Access to Glimmerglass’ renowned Young Artists Program will enhance the trajectory of these talented performers. In turn, Glimmerglass will benefit from the inclusion of a Lenya Competition winner in its Young Artists Program and generous support from the Foundation. Glimmerglass annually trains 48 talented individuals selected from a pool of nearly 1,400 applicants, a testimony to the program’s quality and reputation.

Kim Kowalke, president of the Foundation, hopes “that this will be the start of a wonderful, ongoing association that will help both organizations accomplish missions which have much in common.” Glimmerglass, which stages a Broadway musical every year along with three operas, is an ideal destination for Lenya Competition prizewinners, who must demonstrate superior ability as both operatic and musical-theater performers. Two years ago, Glimmerglass did a memorable production of Weill’s Lost in the Stars, directed by Tazewell Thompson.

The first Kurt Weill/Lotte Lenya Young Artist will be Ben Edquist, who won First Prize in this year’s Lenya Competition and who will play Jigger Craigin in Carousel in the 2014 season. 2014 Young Artists will be mentored by Artist in Residence soprano Christine Goerke.