The National Concert Hall has announced young Irish soprano Jennifer Davis as the Bernadette Greevy Bursary Award winner for 2013. Davis will receive a bursary of 5,000 euro and perform a solo recital at National Concert Hall next year.

The judges for this year’s competition – soprano Ailish Tynan; bass-baritone Ian Caddy and Simon Taylor, CEO of the National Concert Hall – all commented on the high standard of the auditions but were unanimous in their decision to award Jennifer Davis the Bursary for this year.

Simon Taylor commented:‘Ireland continues to produce singers of the highest quality and it is a privilege for the National Concert Hall to honour one of the great artists of the recent past by supporting the talent of the future’.

The Bursary, which was established in 2010 in honour of the late Irish mezzo-soprano and opera festival director Dr Bernadette Greevy, was established by the National Concert Hall and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to support and provide performance opportunities for young Irish singers.

Davis, who has just made her debut with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (2 July 2013) at the National Concert Hall, is a recipient of a Masters in Vocal Performance from DIT’s Conservatory of Music and Drama, and a former participant in the Young Associate Artist’s Programme with Opera Theatre Company.

In the forthcoming season at Wexford Festival Opera, Jennifer will be performing the role of Adina in the ShortWorks presentation of ‘L’elisir d’Amour’. She will also be attending the National Opera Studio in London in 2013/2014.

Former winners of the National Concert Hall’s Bernadette Greevy Bursary Award are baritone Gavan Ring in 2010, Northern Irish soprano Aoife Miskelly in 2011 and mezzo-soprano Rachel Kelly in 2012.

Rachel Kelly will give her Bernadette Greevy Bursary Award recital at the National Concert Hall on 2 October 2013, accompanied by Matthew Flectcher, piano. The recital will include Vivaldi’s ‘Sposa son disprezzata’, Mahler’s ‘Lieder eines Farenden’ and Handel’s ‘Dopo notte’ as well as renditions of Irish airs including ‘Sally Gardens’ arranged by Herbert Hughes and Thomas Moore’s ‘Meeting of the Waters’.

Tickets: €15. Tel: 01 417 00 00 or www.nch.ie (no booking fee)