Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano, of Baltimore, was awarded first prize in the Eighth Biennial Bach Vocal Competition for Young American Singers, co-sponsored by the American Bach Society and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem during finals held May 4, Peter Hall, Moravian College, Bethlehem.

The prize includes a career development grant of $3,000 and an opportunity to perform as a soloist with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem during the 2014 - '15 concert season.

Honorable mentions and cash awards of $500 were awarded to Augusta Caso, mezzo-soprano, Philadelphia; Nola Richardson, soprano, Baltimore, and Gene Stenger, tenor, New Haven.

Ten finalists were selected from more than 70 applicants nationwide who submitted demo tapes. Applicants, who were 30 years or younger, were screened by David Gordon, education director, vocal coordinator and master class director of the Carmel Bach Festival in California.

Each finalist performed two Bach arias of his-her choice. The five judges included Greg Funfgeld, artistic director and conductor of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem; Bethlehem Bach Festival soloists Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano; Benjamin Butterfield, tenor; and William Sharp, bass-baritone; and Wendy Gillespie, professor of viola da gamba at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Critz has been praised for her "elegance of technique" and "vivid vocalism" (Baltimore Sun), and is a rising artist in the early music, operatic and concert arena, with a specialization in Baroque repertoire.

Critz was a featured soloist with the American Bach Soloists Festival Academy performing J. S. Bach's "Mass in B Minor," several sacred cantatas, and Heinrich Biber's "Missa Salisburgensis."

She has made multiple appearances with Lyle Nordstrom, performing with Mountainside Baroque, Cumberland, Md., along with the Eastman Viol Consort.

Recent performances include the Sorceress in Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas," and select works by Claudio Monteverdi, featuring "Lamento della Ninfa" and "Presso un fiume tranquillo." Past performances include "Music from the Royal Courts of England" and sacred cantatas by Heinrich Schütz.

Critz made her soloist debut in 2013 with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in a production of Mozart's "Requiem." In 2012, she was the alto soloist for "Voices of Light," an oratorio by Richard Einhorn, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marin Alsop.

Other operatic roles include Cornelia in Handel's "Giulio Cesare," Zerlina in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and Mallika in Delibes's "Lakmé."

During the past few years she has performed with The Peabody Opera Department, including a production of "Rake's Progress" by Igor Stravinsky.

Critz received a double Master's degree in Voice Performance and Early Music from The Peabody Opera Department and a Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from Furman University, Greenville, S.C. She was born and raised in Charlotte, N.C.