MM student Claudia Affan placed 3rd in the competition at the prestigious Vann Vocal Institute sponsored by the Montgomery Symphony Association in Montgomery, Alabama. 

The Vann Vocal Institute is a two-day event mainly consisting of masterclasses. The faculty choose the top nine singers once the masterclasses have concluded. The top nine then are put on a snap recital competition, and prize money is awarded to the top three. 

The Vann Vocal Institute was founded in 2007 as a program of the Montgomery Symphony Association. Serving as Artistic/Program Director, David Cangelosi brings an esteemed faculty of opera stars, conductor/pianists, and coaches to Montgomery, Alabama, each year (save for a couple of years affected by the pandemic). This year, the 15th Vann Vocal Institute faculty who joined Cangelosi were Kelly Cae Hogan, Maya Lahyani, Derek Taylor, Kevin Thompson, Steven Crawford, Kristofer Sanchack, and Roger Pines.