KINGSTON, R.I. – May 5, 2026 – Caroline O’Dwyer didn’t have to look far for inspiration in seeking to make a name for herself musically on the national level.

O’Dwyer, a mezzo-soprano and artist/teacher in voice in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Music, has seen two of her University colleagues—Director of Orchestral Studies Luis Viquez and fellow artist/teacher in voice Devon Russo—win the prestigious The American Prize in recent memory. The national organization recognizes top musical performers, composers, directors, and administrators for their outstanding work in the arts through a series of annual competitions across a broad range of categories.

With that, O’Dwyer raised her own voice in her quest to be among the United States’ best singers, and is now on the verge of earning her own gold status. O’Dwyer has been named one of eight national finalists for The American Prize’s Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award in the Vocal Performance category.

“This is a huge recognition to get to this stage,” said O’Dwyer, who began teaching at URI in 2018 when she was a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut. “To be recognized for my performance, which required a massive amount of work, is really humbling and I’m just really grateful. This prize has been on my radar for a while, but I waited until now to apply—and I’m glad I did.”

The American Prize requires contestants in all categories to submit 20 minutes’ worth of professionally recorded musical selections of their choosing to be award eligible. Through a grant from URI’s University Artist Series initiative, and assistance from assistant collaborative piano professor David Gilliland and classical percussion teacher Kyle Forsthoff, O’Dwyer submitted selections from several of her live URI performances.

Alongside an aria from an Italian cantata by Franz Joseph Haydn, O’Dwyer submitted two songs originally composed by Baroque Italian composers Giulio Caccini and Francesco Durante, set to new original piano arrangements by Gilliland. O’Dwyer also submitted a performance of the song “Sympathy” by Florence Price, a celebrated Black American female composer, as well as an excerpt from an English cantata by Benjamin Britten and an art song in Spanish by Argentinian composer Carlos Guastavino. 

O’Dwyer’s recordings are posted on her YouTube page. 

“We have really good quality video recording for our performances, and that really does make a difference when you’re submitting for a recording-only competition,” O’Dwyer said. “The quality absolutely affects people’s perception of you.”

O’Dwyer submitted her recordings back in September and originally assumed she didn’t make the cut due to not hearing back. 

She was pleasantly surprised when she saw the April 7 post announcing her as a finalist on the organization’s blog. It was a proud moment to finally see her long hours rehearsing and performing in between her teaching work pay off, she said. The organization will announce its 2026 national winners in December.

While The American Prize distributes monetary awards for winners, it’s the national recognition that O’Dwyer is striving for. Such recognition could lead to high-level opportunities for collaboration that would otherwise be challenging to obtain. O’Dwyer noted that a colleague was immediately asked by a dance organization to collaborate on a new project that paired voice and dance after he received the recognition.

“He probably would have not met that person had they not learned of his American Prize award,” O’Dwyer said. “With this announcement, it could be something where I might reach out to conductors that I’ve worked with in the past and use this announcement to open doors for myself. Making fast connections and getting a performing job is beneficial.”

A first-place award from The American Prize may also help O’Dwyer gain wider recognition among students at URI.

“I definitely think it gives you a certain level of clout and recognition to be in this position. And that’s certainly attractive when you’re trying to recruit students to study with you,” she said. “They want to see that their professors are active in the performing world, that they’re choosing to pursue their goals.”