The Welcome Concert kicks off the three day George Shirley Vocal Competition. This year~s opening concert focuses on celebrating our commitment to the creation of new art songs. The works that will be performed were composed by the contestants in the 2025 composers division competition. The works will be performed by Michigan voice alumni Juliet Schlefer (soprano), Myah Paden (mezzo-soprano) and Tyrese Byrd (tenor) with collaborative pianists Mariah Boucher, Arturo Fernandez and Raphael Chou. The concert also features two world premieres by the winners of the Opera on Tap prize and the Karen Slack commision prize. The art song ~Tea Leaves~ is the winner of the 2024 Opera on Tap composition prize won by the collaborative team of Kaswanna Kanyinda and Brianna Ware-Boggs. The premiere will be performed by composer/librettist Kaswanna Kanyinda (mezzo-soprano) and Lawren Brianna Ware-Boggs (piano) and feature Jafré Chase (viola) and Faye Lu (djembe). The premiere of the song cycle *too difficult to forget* by composer Ty Bloomfield, winner of the 2025 Karen Slack Prize for a new composition, will be performed by the 2025 GSVC First Prize Pre-Professional winner Justice Yates (baritone) and pianist Mariah Boucher. The George Shirley Vocal and Composer Competition focuses entirely on African American Vocal Repertoire and is open to competitors of all ethnicities. The competition offers singers and composers the opportunity to work with and receive feedback from world-renowned judges, including George Shirley. We award over $48,000 in scholarships across 5 divisions.