LOS ANGELES - More than $250,000 in prizes were announced Sunday after a weeklong competition that mingled features from "American Idol" with the world of classical music.
Top prizes of $50,000 in the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition were awarded to soprano Angela Meade, 30, a resident artist at Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts, and pianist Mariya Kim, 26, of the Ukraine and Germany. Kim also shared the $3,000 Spanish Prize.
The second annual contest, held at the University of California, Los Angeles, featured musicians from around the globe.
The competition's sponsoring Jose Iturbi Foundation is named for the renowned concert pianist who appeared in several MGM musicals in the 1940s. It is dedicated to preserving Iturbi's legacy and to fulfilling his desire to bring emerging classical pianists and vocalists to the public's attention.
"The talent of this year's competitors was staggering," said Donelle Dadigan, the foundation's president. "Interest in the final rounds was so intense that hundreds of people lined up in hope there would be last minute cancellations."
The $3,000 People's Choice award for piano was given to Chetan Tierra, 24, a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The People's Choice award in the vocal competition was given to Rodell Rosel, 32, a native of the Philippines who has studied at Santa Monica College and UCLA.
In addition to their $50,000 in first-place prize money, vocalist Meade and pianist Kim will perform during a cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 next April.
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