Mission Statement
The purpose of the National Council Auditions Program is:
1. To discover exceptional young talent.
2. To provide a venue for young opera singers from all over the country and at all different levels of experience to be heard by a representative of the Metropolitan Opera and to assist those with the greatest potential in their development.
3. To search for new talent for the Metropolitan Opera and the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
Description
The MONC Auditions is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist the development of their careers. The auditions are held annually in 15 Regions of the United States and Canada. The Utah District is one of 45 within these Regions, and provides an opportunity for talented local singers to enter the auditions. Winners of the Utah District Auditions will receive a cash prize and advance to one of the 15 Region Finals. Region winners receive a cash prize and will be sponsored to go to New York for the National Council Auditions Semi-Finals. There, they will sing in a closed competition, accompanied by piano on the Met's stage, for a place as a National Council Auditions Finalist. The Finalists will then perform at the Grand Finals Concert on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, and up to five singers will be selected as National Council Auditions Winners. The Winners will each receive a $15,000 prize and will join the National Council Auditions' impressive roster of alumni.
Many of the world's foremost singers have received awards from the National Council and over one hundred alumni of the National Council Auditions sing in Met performances during a typical opera season. The auditioners will sing for judges selected from an elite list of conductors, outstanding vocal coaches, career singers, opera composers, stage directors, heads of opera companies and artistic administrators, who are in a position to identify talent and assist young singers.
For the last 36 years, the MONC, Utah District, has provided not only a wonderful opportunity for aspiring local singers, but also an exciting musical and social event for the community. Our auditions are open and free to anyone who would like to observe the process. We find that many in our community are excited to watch the discovery of promising young talent.
Additional information is available on our website www.utahdistrictauditions.org.
