The Nordica Memorial Association announced the winners of this year’s Nordica Scholarship. It is awarded to a student of singing in Maine who aspires to a career in singing. This year’s contest resulted in a tie with Kaleigh Hunter of Saco and Emma Jones of South Portland as winners.

In normal times, Hunter and Jones would have performed in Farmington’s annual Nordica Day Concert on Aug. 17. It was on that date in 1911 when Farmington native and celebrated opera diva, Lillian Nordica, performed for the last time in her home town in what’s now called Nordica Auditorium. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s concert will be postponed until August 2021.

Hunter is a first-year vocal performance major at the University of Southern Maine where she studies voice with Melinda Haslett. She was in numerous musical theater productions in high school and was recently cast in the role of Pamina in “The Magic Flute.”

Jones is a junior at Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. She was taking a gap year and studying with Mary Johnston Letellier while at home in Maine. Some performance highlights for her have been “Bernstein’s Mass,” and the role of Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Samples their singing can been viewed on the Lillian Nordica website at http://www.lilliannordica.com/nordica-day-concert. The recordings are their audition submissions.

Rotary Club assists Durham Warriors

The South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, with an emphasis on helping Maine’s veterans, has provided $1,016 so far this Rotary year to the Durham Warriors.

Durham Warriors is a nonprofit organization that covers costs for disabled veterans, active duty military, and their families to stay at Maine Forest Yurts in Durham. The charity was instituted by TV’s Survivor winner Bob Crowley. The Rotary Club funds will cover eight scholarships – a night at the facility. So far Rotary has provided a two-night getaway at Maine Forest Yurts for both an Army and a Navy family.

The Rotary Club’s donations to assist Maine veterans has over the past seven years thus far exceeded $37,000.

Many of Maine’s homeless veterans have difficulty getting to medical appointments, job interviews, and other obligations due to lack of transportation and money. And many, who may be moving to their own transitional or permanent housing may be in need of rental deposits, beds, essential household items and other moving expenses.

In a written statement, Rotary Club of South Portland/Cape Elizabeth’s president Mike Geneseo said, “We feel privileged to be partnered with Maine’s VA in this effort to help Maine’s homeless veterans. This is a significant need, and these men and women who have served our country deserve all the help we can offer.”

For more information, or to donate to the Rotary effort, contact the Rotary Club’s homeless veterans chair Dave McKenna.

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