"Singer after singer had a thrilling basic instrument, but that was all. Missing almost entirely was the artistry so vital to meaningful performance."

These were the words of Winifred Cecil, the noted singer and teacher and founder of JOY IN SINGING, about the plight of many young singers. She was resolved to pass on to them the refinements of the art of song she learned from her mentors, Marcella Sembrich and Elena Gerhardt. The opportunity came in 1952 when, after one of her recitals, she was invited by Town Hall to preside over a series of master classes in which she would help gifted singers with interpretation, stage deportment and communication. For it is in these, she believed, that lies the "joy in singing." This was the embryo.

Six years later, in 1958, JOY IN SINGING was born as an award program, and as a publicly supported organization. The winners of the annual awards received a prize recital, at first given in Town Hall. Then in 1969, Ms. Cecil was invited by the Library and Museum of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center to move the master classes to that location, and the Award Recitals to Alice Tully Hall. Support for JOY IN SINGING was swift in coming; among the first to back the budding organization was Arturo Toscanini, who established a scholarship with his contribution.

After the death of Winifred Cecil in 1984, so many singers appealed to the organization to keep the unique idea of JOY IN SINGING alive that the Board of Directors decided to continue the program, and in 1986 invited the well-known singer and teacher Paul Sperry to take over as Music Director. In the years since, the singing sessions and the award program have continued to flourish.


Previous Award Winners have said:

"I was awarded a Town Hall debut recital. That was the event which launched my career. I cannot overemphasize the great value of this prize. The meticulous preparation for the recital and the support I received from the judges - all were instrumental in setting the pattern for my artistic life."
 
Our first award winner:
Nico Castel, Metropolitan Opera 

"Winning that competition in 1977 was one of the high points of my life. The prestige associated with this now famous vocal showcase was invaluable to my management in procuring recital dates as well as other engagements for me."
 
Linn Maxwell, Mezzo-Soprano  

"Winning the Joy In Singing competition was one of the biggest thrills of my life. This feeling was surpassed only by the thrill of watching the big wooden door leading to the stage of Alice Tully Hall swing open as I took the stage to begin my recital. What a fantastic experience."
 
Karen Holvik, Soprano