Anita Watson has been awarded the 2010 Emmerich Smola Förderpreis in a concert with the Deutsche
Radio Philharmonie conducted by Enrico Delamboye. The concert and a documentary about the
Musikdebut concerts will be broadcast on SWR television and SR radio.

http://www.swr.de/musikdebuet/-/id=200176/nid=200176/did=5039878/1ix60rh/index.html


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Anita Watson has won first prize and the audience prize in the 58th International Music Competition
(58. Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD) in Munich.

Anita is the first Australian to win a prize since Joan Carden in 1967, and follows the lead of other
great singers who have won this competition including Jessye Norman (1968), Thomas Quasthoff
(1988) and Ileana Cotrubas (1966).

The competition was held over four rounds and in the semi-final and final Anita performed with the
Muenchener Rundfunkorchester conducted by John Fiore. In the final at the herkuulesal der Residenz
in Munich Anita won over the jury with the aria 'Piangete voi?...Al dolce guidami' from Anna Bolena and
Donna Anna's aria 'Or sai chi l'onore' from Don Giovanni.

The eight members of the jury were Grace Brumbry (USA), Robert Tear (UK), Julie Kaufmann(USA) ,
Jens Malte Fischer (Germany), Irwin Gage (Switzerland), Konrad Jarnot (UK), Lado Ataneli (Georgia)
and Cheryl Studer (USA).

In addition to the prize money Anita will receive the opportunity to perform with a number of German
orchestras and will also appear in one of the prize winner's concerts. A documentary about the
competition which also focused on Anita will be broadcast on German televison on October 4th.

Video interview/performance with Anita:
http://www.br-online.de/br-klassik/klassik-ard-musikwettbewerb-anita-watson-ID1253280114135.xml


For a link to the competition website:
http://www.br-online.de/br-klassik/ard-musikwettbewerb/index.xml