Jintian Ma Takes Top Prize at Schmidt Vocal Arts Southern California Regional

Jintian Ma won first place at the Schmidt Vocal Arts Southern California Regional Competition, held October 24 at Chapman University in Orange, California. The Irvine, California, singer received $2,500 for the win.

Lucy Glow of Phoenix, Arizona, placed second and took home $2,000. Keanu Ho, also of Irvine, finished third with $1,500. All three winners advance to the Schmidt Vocal Arts National Competition at Sarasota Opera in June 2027 — a date worth marking: it is more than two and a half years away, an unusually long runway that reflects how the organization stages its national finals across cycles.

The prize money, in context, is modest. What carries real weight is eligibility: all three top finishers may apply for college scholarships from Schmidt Vocal Arts, which awards more than $500,000 annually. That figure dwarfs the regional prize purse and is the actual financial prize here.

Who else placed, and what they won

Five other finalists each received a $500 award for advancing:

• Katherine Backues, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Joseph Calvo, Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Orange
• Reese Guenther-Clark, Orange County School of the Arts, Long Beach
• Juliette Santos, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Valencia
• Leila Woodward, Orange County School of the Arts, Newport Beach

Encouragement Awards went to Amelia Checketts of Goleta, Hannah Kaye of Coto de Caza, Joel Lee of Fullerton, and Juliette Santos — making Santos a double honoree. Joseph Calvo received the Broadway Bound Award, and Ma added the Most Promising Sophomore Award to her first-place finish, a signal that the jury sees her as early in her development rather than at a peak.

Three singers took part in a master class with the judges ahead of the final round, a format that gives competitors direct feedback before stakes are decided — a detail the results announcement does not elaborate on, and which shaped the competition in ways the standings alone cannot show.

Who judged

The three-member jury consisted of mezzo-soprano Soon Cho, professor of music-voice at Pacific Lutheran University; soprano Linda McAlister, executive director of Schmidt Vocal Arts; and countertenor William Sauerland, associate professor of music education at Chapman University, the host institution.

The presence of the organization's own executive director on the jury is worth noting. It is standard practice at many competition circuits, but it means the body administering the scholarship funds also adjudicated who becomes eligible to apply for them.

What does this change for the winners?

For Ma, Glow and Ho, the immediate answer is access: a national stage at Sarasota Opera in June 2027 and a shot at a share of more than $500,000 in annual scholarship money. For the field of high-school voice competitions, the result confirms Southern California — Irvine alone produced two of the three top finishers — as a region to watch.