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Metropolitan Opera Auditions
The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition (formerly the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions) is an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera. Established in 1954, its purpose is to discover, assist, promote, and develop young opera singers. The competition is held in four stages: Districts, Regional, Semi-Final, and Final competitions. Each stage is judged by a panel of representatives from the Metropolitan Opera. There are a total of 14 regional competitions within the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and 42 district competitions within each region. Winners from the district competition compete in Regionals, and then the winners of regionals are awarded a trip to New York City where they compete on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in the National Semi-Final Competition. Approximately 10 semi-finalists are chosen to compete in the final competition; the five winners are awarded a grand prize of $15,000 each, and the remainin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager. As of 2018, the company's current music director is Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The Met was founded in 1883 as an alternative to the previously established Academy of Music opera house, and debuted the same year in a new building on 39th and Broadway (now known as the "Old Met"). It moved to the new Lincoln Center location in 1966. The Metropolitan Opera is the largest classical music organization in North America. Until 2019, it presented about 27 different operas each year from late September through May. The operas are presented in a rotating repertory schedule, with up to seven performances of four different works staged each week. Performances are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billie Lynn Daniel
Billie Lynn Daniel (1932–2002) was an American operatic soprano and composer. A winner of several notable vocal competitions, she was best known for her portrayal of Clara in ''Porgy and Bess'' and for her work as an exponent of American art song. She performed the world premieres of works by composers Richard Hundley, William Flanagan, and Claude Debussy among other composers. Career Daniel was born on May 21, 1932, in New York City, where she was raised. She made her Broadway debut as one of the Female Saints in the revival of Virgil Thomson's ''Four Saints in Three Acts'' with Leontyne Price. She made her professional recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 1959 with ''The New York Times'' stating " aniel isa vocalist who has something to say in song repertory, and the voice and the technique with which to say it". She performed in recital at Carnegie Hall again in 1970. A graduate of the Juilliard School, in 1961 Daniel won both the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Justino Díaz
Justino Díaz (born January 29, 1940) is a Puerto Rican operatic bass-baritone. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the first Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut in October 1963 in Verdi's ''Rigoletto'' as Monterone. Early years Díaz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the capital of the island, but lived and was raised in the town of Cataño. He attended Robinson Elementary School where, at the age of 8, he started to participate in the school's activities as a singer. In his first school play, when he was 10 years old, he sang the song "Old Black Joe", which became his favorite. After finishing his primary education, Díaz attended the University of Puerto Rico High School in Río Piedras. While in high school, he took singing classes and participated in various presentations around the island. Díaz joined the choir of the University of Puerto Rico, under the direction o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russell Christopher
Russell Christopher (12 March 1930 in Grand Rapids, Michigan – 9 November 2014) was an American operatic baritone who specialized in comprimario roles. He received his Bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan, where he was a soloist in the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club. His voice teachers included Philip Duey and Raymond McDermot. He made his professional opera debut in 1959 as the Emperor in Giacomo Puccini's ''Turandot''. In 1963 he won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Between 1963 and 1991 he appeared in a total of 1,410 performances at the Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper .... References 1930 births 2014 deaths American operatic baritones University of Michigan alumni Winners of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Walker (baritone)
William Sterling Walker (October 29, 1931"Baritone sang on one of opera's biggest stages: the Met in New York," Chris Vaughn, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 04/12/2010, accessed via web 04/18/2010 – April 10, 2010) was a baritone with the Metropolitan Opera (1962–1980) whose singing career included performances at the White House, at Carnegie Hall and other concert venues across North America and Europe, and some 60 appearances on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. From 1991-2002, he produced opera as General Director of Fort Worth Opera in Fort Worth, Texas. Early life William Walker was born in Waco, Texas and moved with his family to Fort Worth at the age of 6, where his father eventually went to work for Consolidated Vultee, a predecessor of General Dynamics. Known as "Bill" to his family and friends, Walker began singing professionally at the age of 12 but secretly yearned to play baseball. After watching him strike out four times one night at a high school game, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carol Toscano
Carol Toscano is an American operatic soprano who appeared frequently with a number of prominent American opera companies from 1962 to 1972. Afterwards she continued to perform in concerts and operas with less frequency. More recently she has appeared as a concert singer of works from the Great American Songbook. In her early career she won several prominent singing competitions. Life and career Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Toscano studied singing with Marinka Gurewich, Claire Gelda, and Floria Mari. In 1960 she won third prize in the Marian Anderson Singing Competition and first prize at the American Opera Auditions in Cincinnati which led to her opera debut in 1961 as Rosina in Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville'' at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan, Italy. In 1962 she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. That same year she made her debut at Carnegie Hall as Alice in Rossini's ''Le comte Ory'' under conductor Thomas Schippers with the American Opera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James McCray
James McCray was an American operatic tenor and voice teacher. Life and career Born in Ohio, McCray served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War before entering the Mannes School of Music in New York City where he was a pupil of Patricia Neway. In 1962 he won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In the Spring of 1965 he was active with the Concert Opera Association at Philharmonic Hall in NYC, singing Chekalinsky in '' The Queen of Spades'' and Francesco in the United States premiere of Hector Berlioz's '' Benvenuto Cellini''. The following summer he appeared at the Stratford Festival of Canada as Jimmy Mahoney in Kurt Weill's ''Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny''. From 1965-1968 McRay was active with the Israel National Opera; performing such roles as Canio in '' Pagliacci'', Cavaradossi in ''Tosca'', Don Jose in '' Carmen'', Manrico in ''Il trovatore'', Riccardo in ''Un ballo in maschera'', and Samson in ''Samson et Dalila''. In 1969 he m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janis Martin (soprano)
Janis Martin (August 16, 1939 – December 14, 2014) was an American opera singer who sang leading roles first as a mezzo-soprano and later as a soprano in opera houses throughout Europe and the United States. She was particularly known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and sang at the Bayreuth Festival from 1968 to 1997. Biography Martin was born in Sacramento, California, the daughter of a radio producer. She studied at both California State University, Sacramento and the University of California, Berkeley. She began studying singing in Sacramento with Julia Monroe and later studied in New York with Lili Wexberg and Otto Gruth. She made her operatic debut in 1960 at San Francisco Opera as Theresa in ''La sonnambula'' and at 21 was the youngest member of the company that season. She continued to sing a number of comprimario mezzo-soprano roles with the company through 1969, including Sister Anne in the 1961 world premiere of Norman Dello Joio's opera '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kay Griffel
Kay Griffel (born December 26, 1940, in Eldora, Iowa) is an American operatic spinto soprano. Early life and education After earning a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University, she pursued further studies with Lotte Lehmann at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. She received a Fulbright Scholarship and a Rockefeller Foundation Grant. In 1962 she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She also won a competition sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In the mid 1960s she pursued graduate studies at the Musikhochschule Berlin. She also received further instruction from Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau School and Pierre Bernac in Paris. Career On November 4, 1960, Griffel made her stage debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (LOC) as Mercedes in Georges Bizet's ''Carmen'' with Jean Madeira in the title role, Renata Scotto as Micaela, Giuseppe di Stefano as Don Jose, Robert Merrill as Escamillo, and Lovro von Matacic conducting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth Fischer Monastero
Elizabeth Fischer Monastero is an American operatic mezzo-soprano and voice teacher. Life and career Born Elizabeth Fischer and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, Fischer Monastero graduated with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from the University of Michigan in 1956. She also studied with tenor Richard Miller at the Interlochen Center for the Arts and with Clara Bloomfield of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In 1962 Fischer Monastero won the Euclid McBride Memorial Scholarship in the finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. That same year she won the American Opera Auditions which enabled her to study opera in Italy. Before leaving for Italy, she attended the Music Academy of the West's summer conservatory. Shortly after she made her European debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan in September 1962 as Suzuki in Giacomo Puccini's '' Madama Butterfly''; a role which she repeated that year at the Teatro Comunale Florence. Fischer Monastero made her debut at the Lyric Oper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shirley Verrett
Shirley Verrett (May 31, 1931 – November 5, 2010) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles, i.e. soprano sfogato. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s through the 1990s, particularly well known for singing the works of Verdi and Donizetti. Early life and education Born into an African-American family of devout Seventh-day Adventists in New Orleans, Louisiana, Verrett was raised in Los Angeles, California. She sang in church and showed early musical abilities, but initially a singing career was frowned upon by her family. Later Verrett went on to study with Anna Fitziu and with Marion Szekely Freschl at the Juilliard School in New York. In 1961 she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. International career In 1957, Verrett made her operatic debut in Britten's ''The Rape of Lucretia'' under her then-married name of Shirley Carter. She later used the name Shirley Verrett-Carter, and ultimately just Shirle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Shirley
George Irving Shirley (born April 18, 1934) is an American operatic tenor, and was the first African-American tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Early life Shirley was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree in music education from Wayne State University in 1955 and then was drafted into the Army, where he became the first Black member of the United States Army Chorus.Randye Jones"George Shirley (b. 1934)" Afrocentric Voices, retrieved June 10, 2014. He was also the first African American hired to teach music in Detroit high schools."Surviving Odds to Become a Star: George Shirley" '' |
