Metropolitan Opera holds district auditions in Charlotte

How often does great art – well, potentially great art – cost nothing? If you’re an opera fan, the answer is annually: For 19 years, The Metropolitan Opera National Council’s free district auditions have been held in Charlotte.

This year, they begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Dana Auditorium, on the Queens University of Charlotte campus at 1900 Selwyn Ave. Singers of every voice type – 31 of them, coming from 11 states – will compete for the right to advance to the national finals on March 13th on the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York.

The program is designed to discover exceptional new talent, provide a venue for young opera singers across America to be heard by a representative of the Met, and assist those with the greatest potential for operatic careers.

This year’s judges are Jonathan Dudley, retired director of the Metropolitan Opera Studio; Thomas Muraco, who teaches at Manhattan School of Music; and Melissa Wegner, associate director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Metropolitan Opera holds district auditions in Charlotte."