Martin Wright Takes Top Honors at Vocal Contest

Baritone Martin Wright of San Diego has won top honors and a $3,000 prize in the ninth annual Virginia Hawk Vocal Competition.

Since 1984, Wright has been chorus master for San Diego Opera; next season he will make his singing debut with the company in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.”

Second place and a $1,000 award were won by soprano Diane Winterton of San Diego at the competition, held April 9 at the East County Performing Arts Center.

Judges for the Hawk competition, which is administered by the Women’s Committee of the Grossmont Community Concerts Assn., included Henrietta Pelta of the music faculty at the California Institute for the Arts, Valencia, and Daniel Cariaga, classical music writer for the Los Angeles Times.