Hear the "Creme de la Creme" of North America's young opera singers compete in the final concert that ends the long, competitive journey to the fabled Metropolitan Opera stage in New York City.
Eight finalists, between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, were selected from nearly 1,800 singers who participated in the auditions. They competed in The Grand Finals Concert last February at Lincoln Center. WRTI presents a recording of the concert on Sunday, June 28th from 3 to 5 pm.
The Exciting Final Concert:
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions 2009
Sunday, June 28
3 to 5 pm
One of the most highly visible voice competitions in North America, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. The auditions are held annually in 15 regions of the United States and Canada. There are 45 districts within these regions, each providing an opportunity for talented singers to enter the Auditions Program at the local level. The Auditions are administered by National Council members and volunteers in each region.
Eight finalists, between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, were selected from nearly 1,800 singers who participated in the auditions. They competed in The Grand Finals Concert on February 22nd at Lincoln Center. WRTI presents a recording of the concert on Sunday, June 28th.
Past winners of the Met Auditions include many of today's leading operatic artists such as Renee Fleming, Hei-Kyung Hong, Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Stephanie Blythe, Nathan Gunn, Ben Heppner, and Samuel Ramey. During a typical opera season, over 100 alumni of the Auditions are on the Met roster.
The finalists included: Paul Appleby, tenor from South Bend, Indiana; Noah A. Baetge, tenor from Seattle, Washington; Anthony Roth Costanzo (pictured at right), countertenor from Durham, North Carolina; Kiri Dyan Deonarine, soprano from Fair Lawn, New Jersey; Jessica Julin, soprano from Danville, California; Sung Eun Lee, tenor from Seoul, South Korea; Sarah Mesko, mezzo-soprano from Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Nadine Sierra, soprano from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
One of the finalists, Jessica Julin, has a local connection - she's a resident artist with Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts where she has sung Eudossia in Respighi's La Fiamma, the title role of Vanessa, Agathe in Der Freischutz, and Freia in Das Rheingold. She has also sung Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von N?rnberg with The Philadelphia Orchestra.