Berry College student tenor Stephen Santana claimed the Verdi Prize in the recent Orpheus Vocal Competition sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Choral Society.

As one of seven finalists, Santana received positive reviews from the judges’ panel, which included Benton Hess, music director of the Eastman Opera at The Eastman School of Music; DeeAnn Gorham, professor of voice and opera at Texas A&M University; and John Kramar, director of the East Carolina Opera at East Carolina University.

The student category originally consisted of more than 100 singers, and the field was winnowed first to 34 semifinalists and then to seven. Santana sang “Una Furtiva Lagrima” from Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore,” “Total Eclipse” from Handel’s “Samson and Rodelinda,” and a Spanish folk song arrangement called “Noche Serena.”

This is not the first time Santana has been honored for his amazing voice. Last April, he earned first place in the Atlanta Music Club Scholarship Competition with a varied program featuring songs in Spanish, Italian and English. He also was the featured vocalist at Berry’s recent Scholarship Night celebration. You can view his Scholarship Night performance on Berry's Web site.

Santana’s next performance will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 5, in the Berry College Chapel. He will be tenor soloist in the Berry College Concert Choir and Orchestra’s presentation of Mozart’s “Requiem.”

Santana studies under Harry Musselwhite, senior lecturer in music and choral director at Berry. He is an early childhood education major and the son of Silvio Santana and Doris Quiros of Lawrenceville