One of the nation’s biggest singing competitions returns to Lexington Saturday
More than two dozen opera hopefuls will converge on the University of Kentucky on Saturday for the annual Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions.
And fans of the art will be there to cheer them on. It’s a chance for opera lovers to see young talent, including several singers from Kentucky.
About 30 singers have registered for the Kentucky District auditions, the largest group hosted at the Lexington audition, which began in 2000. The singers will perform two arias from among four they have prepared, of their choice and one of the judges’ choice.
The top singers will win cash prizes and move on to regional auditions in Chicago in December, with the goal to make the national Met auditions in New York in February. Auditions will take place in 40 districts and 12 regions in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Metropolitan Opera.
“The judges determine who they think is a viable candidate for a career in opera at the Met and the money is to help defray the costs of continuing in the competition,” said Cacey Nardolillo, director of the Kentucky District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Some singers also receive “encouragement” prize money to encourage them to keep pursuing their art, she said.
Each year about five young singers are chosen from about 1,500 nationally to receive cash prizes as well as recognition and training. Previous national winners include UK alums Gregory Turay and Reginald Smith. Other audition winners include opera stars Renee Fleming and Thompson Hampson.
This year’s singers in Lexington include:
▪ Wagner Pastor of Quito, Ecuador
▪ Jessica Bayne of Lexington
▪ Tshegofatso Baloyi, of Pretoria, South Africa
▪ Heidi Miller of Cincinnati
▪ Scott Clark of Houston
▪ Siani Johnson of Oklahoma City
▪ Maggie Smith of Louisville
▪ Joel Allison of Toronto, Canada
▪ Carlos Cardenas of Bogata, Columbia
▪ Denique Isaac of Baltimore
▪ Raven McMillon of Cincinnati
▪ Anyee Farrar of Virginia Beach, Va.
▪ Son Jin Kim of South Korea
▪ Gabrelle Fuqua of Florence, Ala.
▪ Courtney Wallace of Dayton, Ohio
▪ Nic Watkins of Louisville
▪ Hannah Roberts of Columbus, Ohio
▪ Danielle Aldach of Columbus, Ohio
▪ Kendra Beasley of Lexington
▪ Liya Khaimova of St Louis
▪ Samuel Hayden of Louisville
▪ Ron Dukes of Indianapolis
▪ Tanner Hoertz of Lexington
▪ Taylor Comstock of Independence, Mo.
▪ Alexandra Bork of Nicholasville
▪ Brittany Logan of Garden Grove, Calif.
▪ Christina Hazen of Denver
▪ Murrella Parton of Seymour, Tenn.
▪ Tess Klibanoff of Rochester, N.Y.
▪ Savannah Etter of Kansas City, Mo.
Kentucky District Metropolitan Opera Auditions
When: 11 a.m. Nov. 16.
Where: Singletary Center of the Arts Recital Hall, University of Kentucky campus, 405 Rose Street.
Tickets: Event is free and open to the public. The auditions begin with a chance to sing the National Anthem with dozens of contestants.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 2:38 PM.
