DABAWENYO Kevin Mikhail H. Gomez topped three of four major categories in the 21st Queensland Vocal Competition held last May 27 and 28, 2023 at the University of Queensland College of Music.
The Vocal Competition is one of three major events the 102-year-old Queensland Music Teachers’ Association (QMTA) holds every year.
Joining four of the open categories, Gomez won first prize in the Open Sacred Music, Open Foreign Classical Aria, and Open Operatic Aria. He received a High Commendation certificate for the Open English Aria.
A tenor, Gomez sang “Total Eclipse” from George Frederic Handel’s “Samson” for the Open Sacred Song with Jennifer Enchelmaier accompanying him, “Questa o Quella” from Guiseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” for the Open Operatic Aria with John Woods as accompanist, and a Filipino Kundiman, “Nasaan ka Irog” composed by Nicanor Abelardo with accompanist Enchelmaier for the Open Foreign Classical Aria.
His rendition of "Music When Soft Voices Die” by Roger Quilter earned him the High Commendation Certificate in the Open English Aria.
“All these pieces, save for the Quilter, were introduced to me when I was still studying with my teachers from the Philippines, Mr. Christopher Arceo at the Arceo Voice Studio, and with Mr. Jonathan Velasco at the University of the Philippines College of Music,” Gomez said.
“Through my training at the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University with my current teacher, Dr. Margaret Schindler, and with my vocal coach, Jillian Stoll, I was able to prepare even more for the competition,” he added.
At second and third places in the Open Classical Foreign Art Song are: Jia-Peng Yeung and Eline van Bruggen.
Placing after Gomez in the Open Sacred Song are Robyn Kelly and Vikram Goonawardena, while runner-up winners in the Open Operatic Aria are Matilda Smith and Jake Lyle.
Gomez graduated from Ateneo de Davao University in 2012 with an AB Mass Communication degree before taking up a Bachelor of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of the Philippines Diliman and graduating Batch 2020.
He is now taking up his Master of Music Studies-Opera Performance at Griffith University Conservatorium of Music in Queensland, Australia.