Columbia College to host Metropolitan Opera auditions

Columbia College is one of the locations for the 60th annual Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the largest and longest running singing competition in America. Singers from across the country will come to campus to perform in front of three judges provided by the Metropolitan Opera. More than 1,500 singers between the ages of 20 and 30 will participate in the National Council Auditions in locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The public is invited to enjoy the music and hear outstanding talent. The competition begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 at the R. Wright Spears Center for the Arts. Admission is free.

Three winners will be chosen from South Carolina, and each will receive $1,000 and the right to go to the Southeastern Regional Auditions in Atlanta. The Atlanta winner will compete in the Grand National Finals on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York before an audience that includes representatives of opera houses from around the world.

Winners of the Grand National Finals each receive an award of $15,000 and great exposure for their operatic careers. Previous winners include Renee Flemming, Deborah Voight, Thomas Hampson, Jessye Norman and South Carolina’s own David Daniels, who is currently one of the most popular counter-tenors in the world.

For more information, visit Columbia College’s website.

Via: Columbia College