Zachary vocal competition honors -- and rewards -- singers

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Young opera singers won a total of $56,650 at the 37th annual Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition finals Sunday night at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

The awards are given by the Zachary Society for the Performing Arts, which is based in Beverly Hills and was founded by the late Dr. Loren L. Zachary and Nedra Zachary.

Soprano Audrey Luna, 30, from Chicago, won the $12,500 first prize at the competition. (You can see a YouTube video of her singing -- not in the competition -- above.) Ten finalists, drawn from 219 applicants, participated in the finals with the Los Angeles Performing Arts Orchestra.

Past winners and finalists have included baritone Thomas Hampson, soprano Deborah Voigt and countertenor Brian Asawa, among others.

The list of this year’s winners follows.

First place: Audrey Luna, $12,500

Second: Jan Cornelius, $10,000

Third: Taylor Stayton, $8,000

Fourth: Karen Vuong, $7,000

Fifth: Jessica Julin, $6,000

Sixth place encouragement award: Ginger Costa-Jackson, $5,150

Other finalists receiving $2,000 each: Marianne Cope, Natasha Flores, Rodell Rosel and Kelly Markgraf.

-- Sherry Stern