Classical Crossover Star 2023 Winner, Stephanie Horowitz-Mulry, was busy being a working musician during the Holiday season on the day of the “A Crossover Christmas” concert. With a carol gig all wrapped up, she found herself pulling over into an Aldi parking lot to watch the announcement of the results.
In a video posted shortly after, Stephanie shared her experience, “They announced the winner, and it was me,” she said, laughing and crying joyfully. “And so now I’m in the car, it’s raining, and I’m in the Aldi parking lot, and I’m losing it.”
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Stephanie is a soprano from New York who has been described as a “musical chameleon who can move seamlessly from the concert hall to the jazz club and everywhere in between.” She is currently also a music teacher and has begun to create original music.
“I’m so overwhelmed, overcome, and so grateful to be in that company of people and just be able to hang; that is the dream, just to hang, just to be in the company of these people… I am so grateful for everyone that voted for me and kept up with this and listened to me talk about it. I think the thing that touches me the most is that I won for a song that I wrote, and that is the biggest honor to me.”
Stephanie shared in the video that she immediately reached out to her family with the good news. “I texted my mom, my husband, my sister, and one friend… I’m sure I will make some more calls now, but maybe I’ll drive home first,” she said, laughing.
Radio show host, podcaster, and judge, Jannie Rawlinson, shared some feedback during the concert, “I was really impressed by Stephanie in this competition. Her voice control and the tone in her voice were just incredible; it really made the listener believe what she was saying. Absolutely incredible.”
The runner-up Garri Setyan from Ukraine also auditioned with an original piece and was the only instrumentalist to make the finals. Recording artist, music teacher, and judge Grace Foley praised his “magical” playing, saying, “There was a melancholy to your style of performing, and there is such a genuine nature to the way you perform… There was so much sincerity, is the only word I can use, it stuck with me for a long time afterward.”
Rounding out the finalists, Victoria Gydov from Canada brought vocal beauty and elegance. “I absolutely loved your entry; I loved the amazing video that went with your amazing singing. It was full of drama and fabulous.”
It was a difficult decision to make. “The quality of our contestants was very impressive, and our finalists, in particular, really raised the bar musically. I am so proud to have Stephanie represent the magazine. Her performance was so vulnerable and heartfelt; her voice is absolutely gorgeous, and the fact that she auditioned with an original song was phenomenal. In order for classical crossover as a genre to survive and thrive, we need more songwriters, and so it’s an absolute honor to have a winner that exemplifies that,” said Natasha Barbieri, Editor, and Creator of the magazine.
Stephanie praised the other finalists, calling Garri “spellbinding” and Victoria Gydov “AMAZING.” Her performance at our Holiday concert was also the premiere of a brand new song she wrote entitled, “Under the same sky.” The piece dealt with the difficult issue of war and the responsibility we each have. “I also want to really thank the competition for giving me an outlet to process my feelings about everything that’s been happening in the world, in the Middle East and in the rest of the world, and just giving me a chance to plead for peace in whatever way suits everyone the best, and sometimes that means not suiting yourself as much. If you really want peace, it’s a compromise, and that doesn’t mean that you have to put up with atrocities, but if we really want peace, we really want peace, and it’s not about anything else, and there’s nothing else that’s more important than that…. Thank you for giving me a chance to process that. Care for who is left and not who is right.”
Watch Stephanie’s powerful performance and stay tuned to learn more about Stephanie in 2024!
