Cobb Reporter

Aspiring opera vocalist Lainie Ewers recently won the Georgia Symphony Orchestra’s 2021 Virtual to Center Stage award.

As the winner of competition, Ewers, a 20-year-old native of Gainesville, Ga., will have the opportunity to sing with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra during its 71st concert season, according to Cobb Chamber News.

“Being able to perform with the Georgia Symphony is a dream come true for me,” Ewers said in a statement, according to Cobb Chamber. “Singing opera is what I want to do with my life, and I am so grateful for the chance to move one step closer to achieving my goal.”

The competition was open to amateur through professional dancers, musicians and vocalists, ages 8 and above, in any musical style, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The public voted Ewers through the early rounds of the competition and she was selected as the winner from five finalists by a panel consisting of five local performing arts veterans.  

“The goal of the competition was to provide an opportunity for public recognition to undiscovered talent like Lainie,” Timothy Verville, GSO music director and conductor, said in a statement, according to Cobb Chamber. “Particularly after the hardships everyone in the performing arts endured last year.”

Ewers is also scheduled to perform as a featured soloist during the Dec. 4 GSO’s Holiday Pops concert.