Grady-Rayam Prize in Sacred Music Competition – Upper Division

Awarded By:

Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Two awards offered annually. Awards are given to the first-place winners of the female vocalist and male vocalist categories. Other entrants will be recognized for their participation.

Description: This vocal competition is open to U.S. college juniors and seniors who are enrolled and matriculating full time at a college or university in the continental United States. Entrants selected for the competition must perform two songs in the Negro spiritual genre; there are separate competitions for male and female vocalists.

Application requirements for the Grady-Rayam Prize in Sacred Music Competition – Upper Division are:

• Application form
• $50 entry fee
• Audition video
• Recommendation letter

Additional Information: Named for Bishop Thomas J. Grady and opera singer Curtis Rayam, the Grady-Rayam Prize in Sacred Music is given to selected collegians with proven vocal ability. Winners of the prize become year-long ambassadors who promote the American Negro spiritual song by performing under the auspices of the "Negro Spiritual" Scholarship Foundation. Twenty singers – ten males and ten females – will be selected for the competition. Each entrant will be required to perform two songs, one assigned and one selected, from memory. Entrants will be sent study copy of the assigned piece, which will be performed to the accompaniment of an acoustic piano using a staff accompanist. Entrants will be sent a list of songs recognized as Negro spirituals to assist in choosing a second selection to be performed to the accompaniment of an acoustic piano using a staff accompanist. Entrants must submit a .pdf copy of the music score to their selected spiritual in advance. The Female Upper Division competition will be held on a date TBA on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. The Male Upper Division competition will be held on a data TBA on the campus of University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Please note: Singers who are accepted for competition must provide their own means of travel to event locations. Each round of singers will be evaluated by a panel of three jurors assigning numeric scores (points) earned in published categories of vocal and artistic ability. Decisions of the judges are final. Individuals who are currently contracted with musical or theatrical professional management are not eligible to compete on any level. Previous winners of the Grady-Rayam Prize awards on any level are not eligible to return to competition.

Award Amount: $3,000 annually, non-renewable. Award monies are paid directly to winning students who provide proof of being currently enrolled in a college or university undergraduate program where they matriculate for full-time study.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $3,000.