One of music’s top competitions is Saturday in Lexington. The prize? The Met Opera

More than a dozen singers take the stage Saturday at Lexington’s First Presbyterian Church to take their first steps toward the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.

The Kentucky District round of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions will feature singers from as far away as the northeastern United States and South Korea, and as close as the University of Kentucky, vying to be one of a handful of hopefuls, usually three, who will advance to the regional round of the competition, Jan. 21 in Chicago. The next stop after that is the stage of New York’s storied Metropolitan Opera, where the goal is to join the ranks of Renée Fleming and Frederica von Stade, who have won in the past and have gone on to international opera stardom.

The competition has been good to Kentuckians and UK singers. Gregory Turay and Reginald Smith Jr. have won top honors from UK, and Elizabethtown’s Anthony Clark Evans completed a most unlikely journey from used-car salesman to Met auditions winner. Winners take home cash prizes, and the prize doesn’t guarantee roles at the Met or entree to its young artists program, but winning does open doors and make engagements with the company more likely.

Here is a quick snapshot of who will be in Saturday’s competition.

Jessica Bayne

Age: 25

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Lexington

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, University of Kentucky, 2015

Timothy Blake

Age: 28

Voice: Baritone

Hometown: Cincinnati

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, Northern Kentucky University, 2012; master’s degree in music, Miami (Ohio) University, 2015

Lillian Broderick

Age: 23

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Plainfield, Vt.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in arts, Johnson State College, 2016

Taylor Comstock

Age: 27

Voice: Tenor

Hometown: Independence, Mo.

Education: Pursuing bachelor’s degree in arts, UK

Rebecca Farley

Age: 27

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Henderson

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, UK, 2013; master’s degree in music, The Juilliard School, 2017

Venus Hernandez

Age: 29

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, Ball State University, 2011; master’s degree in music, Indiana University, 2016

Thabang Masango

Age: 29

Voice: Tenor

Home country: South Africa

Education: Pursuing bachelor’s degree in music, UK

Megan Moore

Age: 27

Hometown: Cincinnati

Voice: Mezzo-soprano

Education: Bachelor’s degree in voice, Miami University, 2012; master’s degree in voice and literature, Eastman School of Music, 2015

Zackery Morris

Age: 27

Voice: Tenor

Hometown: Lexington

Education: bachelor’s degree in music, Wingate University, 2012; master’s degree in music, UK, 2015; pursuing doctorate in musical arts, UK

Katherine Olson

Age: 27

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Lexington

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, Furman University, 2012; master’s degree in music, UK, 2014

Therese Pircon

Age: 26

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Macomb, Ill.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, Western Illinois University, 2012; master’s degree in music, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, 2015; pursuing performer diploma in solo performance, Indiana University

Lisa Marie Rogali

Age: 23

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Bergenfield, N.J.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music education, Penn State University, 2016; performer’s certificate, Penn State, 2016; pursuing master’s in vocal performance, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Shaina Sanders

Age: 27

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Alma College, 2013; bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, Western Michigan University, 2015; pursuing master’s degree, Indiana

Margaret Smith

Age: 24

Voice: Mezzo-soprano

Hometown: Louisville

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music education, UK, 2016; bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, UK, 2016; pursuing master’s in vocal performance, Florida State University

Kristen Whalen

Age: 28

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Cincinnati

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, Northern Kentucky University, 2012; master’s degree in music, Miami (Ohio) University, 2014

Mary Catherine Wright

Age: 23

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Lexington

Education: Bachelor’s degree in voice, UK, 2016

Juyeon Yoo

Age: 25

Voice: Soprano

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Education: Bachelor’s degree in music, Seoul National University; pursuing master’s degree in music, Indiana University

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 11:49 AM with the headline "One of music’s top competitions is Saturday in Lexington. The prize? The Met Opera."