Voice student honored in national arts recognition

Jason Coffey, an 18-year-old freshman at Grand Valley, was one of 10 voice students chosen nationally -- and the only voice student selected from Michigan -- to participate in the recent Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) Week, held January 5-11 in Miami, Fla. As part of the event, Coffey received one-on-one voice instruction from international opera star Placido Domingo, who is recognized around the world both as an individual artist and as part of The Three Tenors.

ARTS is sponsored by the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA), which honored Domingo at a black tie gala on January 10. Earlier that morning, Domingo conducted a master voice class in which Coffey received individual instruction from the master himself. The awards ceremony and master class will be aired by PBS at a future date.

More than 6,500 17- and 18-year-olds from all over the nation applied for the ARTS honor in nine categories. Of those, 125 were selected as finalists, including the 10 voice students.

Coffey's vocal honors include 2003 NATS Great Lakes Regional Auditions winner (freshman men); Most Pomising Undergraduate for Great Lakes Region; Verdi Opera Theater of Michigan Ninth Annual Italian Songs and Arias First Place Winner; 2002 and 2003 Bach Festival top honors, and more. He is currently studying vocal performance at GVSU under Professor Dale Schriemer.