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Two Georgians win Met Auditions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CLASSICAL BLOG
The Met claims two Georgians.
Sunday evening in New York, two young singers advanced their careers immeasurably by winning top prizes in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, a sort of “American Idol” talent contest that has helped discover opera stars like Jessye Norman, Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson.
Of the dozen finalists — culled from regional auditions held around the country in recent months — six were named “winners” this year.
Two were from Georgia: tenor Ryan Smith, 30, from Decatur; and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, 25, from Rome. The other winners included a baritone, a soprano and two other tenors. The age limit is 30.
“It’s the best feeling of my life,” said Smith moments after his win was announced, reached by cell phone while at a reception at the Met’s Grand Tier. “Everyone was singing A+ today, and I had no idea I could win. “This is the result of a lot of years of hard work and suffering,” he added, referring to the time when he dropped opera singing altogether. “Having the Met validate what I do, letting me know I can do this — it’s a blessing for me.”
Barton is currently a graduate student at Indiana University, one of the top music schools in the country. She’ll sing at Opera Theatre St. Louis this summer, and will join the Houston Grand Opera’s prestigious young singers’ studio in the fall. (It often takes years of training for a voice to reach operatic-quality heft, technical prowess and interpretive maturity.)
For Smith, his rags-to-riches story could be the stuff of an opera plot, with scenes in gang-torn Los Angeles, a three-year hiatus from singing and, finally, with encouragement from Atlanta Opera chorusmaster Walter Huff, a return to music as a profession. With the Atlanta Opera, Smith has sung small but noticable roles in Beethoven’s “Fidelio” and Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” The opera also sponsored Smith’s solo recital at the Woodruff Arts Center last fall.
Smith said he doesn’t have any long-range plans after he sings at the Santa Fe Opera this summer. After Sunday evening’s win, he might expect his phone to start ringing.
Atlanta Opera general director Dennis Hanthorn, who was among the cheering fans at the Met audition finals, said, “the talent level here is so high, and there are so many factors that go into a judge’s mind, it was hard to pick the winners, but I’m biased — I thought he was sensational. Certainly the audience applauded him as the favorite.”
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By Eaton
April 2, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
Might have been nice to mention that Jamie Barton is an alumna of Shorter College, a Georgia college whose music program has produced numerous Met finalists and winners over the year.