STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — For 23 years, it gave aspiring singers a stage. Now, the final curtain is about to fall.
The Italian Idol Competition at Wagner College in Memory of Licia Albanese will hold its last event this month, bringing to a close a longstanding Staten Island tradition that has helped launch the careers of emerging vocal performers.
The competition will award $12,000 in prize money during its final year. A panel of judges including Lori McCann, David Small and Vinroy Brown will evaluate participants.
Anthony Turner, an adjunct professor of voice at Wagner College who has served as the competition’s curator for the past six years, said approximately 104 students have received awards since the program’s inception.
“We started with awards of $50, $75 and $100,” Turner said. “Then we received a grant that allowed us to do even more. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time fundraising, and I’ve probably raised close to $100,000 for the competition.”
Turner said much of the competition’s growth was made possible through fundraising efforts and the support of Alfred Palladino, a Wagner College alumnus, former member of the Board of Trustees and financial adviser to Licia Albanese, who helped secure grant funding for the program.
Opera icon Licia Albanese, whose legacy is honored through the Italian Idol Competition at Wagner College. Albanese performed more than 400 times at the Metropolitan Opera and remained a champion of emerging vocal talent throughout her life.SilvestriHonoring an opera legend
Founded by Professor Emeritus Roger Wesby and presented by the DaVinci Society, the competition honors the legacy of Licia Albanese.
The Italian-born soprano was one of the Metropolitan Opera’s most celebrated stars, performing there more than 400 times. Widely hailed as a diva assoluta, Albanese was beloved by New York audiences and maintained ties to Staten Island through appearances and support of local arts organizations.
According to a 2014 Staten Island Advance report by Michael J. Fressola, Albanese also performed informally at Snug Harbor during the opening of an Italian art exhibition in the 1990s, joining audience members in a spontaneous singalong.
Giovanni Longo serves as the competition’s pianist and accompanist.
Anthony Turner sings during Wagner College’s 2026 undergraduate commencement ceremony on Grymes Hill. Turner, an adjunct professor of voice and curator of the Italian Idol Competition in Memory of Licia Albanese, performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” (Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
The final competition will take place Thursday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m. at Wagner College. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and organizers encourage attendees to arrive early. Admission is free and no tickets are required.
Visitors should enter the campus through the main gate at 631 Howard Ave., Grymes Hill, rather than using Wagner College’s general One Campus Road address, which may direct guests elsewhere on campus. Seating is first come, first served, and security staff at the entrance will direct attendees to available parking.
Turner said the competition has awarded prize money to 104 Wagner College students in its 23-year run, “leaving a lasting legacy of support for young vocal artists.”
Artist LeRoy Neiman, left, soprano Licia Albanese, Canadian baritone Louis Quilico and former New Jersey Symphony conductor Henry Lewis gather at Symphony Hall in Newark in 1995 to honor Albanese, who served as co-chair of Opera Music Theatre International.Staten Island Advance File Photo