CCM Hosts Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions Jan. 5

The

Metropolitan Opera National Council

announces that its

auditions for the Southern Ohio District

will take place

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, beginning at 10 a.m. in Werner Recital Hall

on the campus of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Outstanding young singers from throughout the Tristate area and beyond take the stage at this annual event, performing some of opera's best-loved arias as well as lesser-known gems. The Met Auditions also offer a chance for audiences to catch young opera stars on the rise; observers are welcome, and admission is free and open to the public.

Established in 1953, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is an annual program designed to discover promising young opera singers from the United States and Canada and to assist in the development of their careers. Competition begins at the District level and culminates in the National Council Grand Finals in New York City, where National Finalists have the opportunity to perform in the Winners Concert on the Metropolitan Opera stage.

Local competition begins on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, with the Southern Ohio District auditions in CCM's Werner Recital Hall, where singers compete for cash prizes and the chance to advance to the Regional level of competition. Winners from the Southern Ohio District auditions then join singers from the Kentucky and Indiana Districts at the Tri-State Region competition in Louisville on Jan. 19, 2008, at the University of Kentucky's Memorial Hall. Those who succeed at the Regional level advance to the National competition, to be held in February 2008 in New York.

Winners are determined by a panel of judges composed of professional opera industry administrators: Ward Holmquist, conductor of Kansas City Lyric; Andrew Wentzel, singer and voice teacher at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville; and David Holloway, chair of the performance department at Roosevelt University.

ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION INFORMATION
Auditions are open to singers of all voice types age 30 and under who have musical training and are able to sing in more than one language. Singers are asked to prepare five arias of their choosing in contrasting languages and styles. An application must be submitted before an audition time is scheduled. To download an application or for more information, please visit http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/auditions/national. Contact Richard Lauf, auditions coordinator, at 513-741-0318 or richlauf@fuse.net with questions regarding the application process.
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EVENT DETAILS

Saturday, January 5, 2008 | 10:00 a.m.
METROPOLITAN OPERA NATIONAL COUNCIL DISTRICT AUDITIONS

Location:
Werner Recital Hall, CCM Village

Admission:
FREE

Directions and Parking:
CCM is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Parking is available in the CCM garage (at the base of Corry Boulevard, off Jefferson Avenue) and in additional garages around the UC campus. Please visit the CCM Web site for additional directions and parking information: http://www.ccm.uc.edu.