2017 Metropolitan Opera National Auditions Finalists

L to R: Kyle van Schoonhoven, Vanessa Vasquez, Samantha Hankey, Aryeh Nussbaum-Cohen, Natalie Image, Cody Quattlebaum, Kirsten MacKinnon, Gabriella Reyes de Ramirez, Richard Smagur; Photo credit: Fay Fox/Metropolitan Opera

Nine finalists were selected in the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions leading up to the Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, March 19, at 3 PM, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The finalists are:

Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano, Eastern Region
Natalie Image, soprano, Western Region
Kirsten MacKinnon, soprano, Middle Atlantic Region
Aryeh Nussbaum-Cohen, countertenor, Eastern Region
Cody Quattlebaum, bass-baritone, Eastern Region
Gabriella Reyes de Ramírez, soprano, New England Region
Richard Smagur, tenor, Central Region
Kyle van Schoonhoven, tenor, Central Region
Vanessa Vasquez, soprano, Middle Atlantic Region

2017 Winners: Met Auditions, Southeast Region

Arts Knoxville

The 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions for the Southeast region were held on Sunday, February 12, at Spivey Hall of Clayton State University in Atlanta, Georgia. This year, judges awarded three first place winners (eliminating second and third place awards) All three will advance to the semi-finals in New York City on March 12 with an opportunity to advance to the grand finals on March 19.

The winners were:
Jacquelyn Stucker, soprano (North Carolina)
Alasdair Kent, tenor (Middle/East Tennessee District)
Alan Higgs, bass-baritone (Georgia District)

In addition, Encouragement Awards were given to Courtney Johnson, Soprano, and Gabriella Sam,  Soprano.

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2017 Winners: Met Opera Auditions-Middle/East Tennessee District

Arts Knoxville

On Saturday, January 7, twenty-seven singers competed in the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Middle/East Tennessee District held in the University of Tennessee’s Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall. The district is one of five comprising the Southeast Region. The judges chose three singers to advance to that next step, the Southeast regional auditions which will be held on Saturday, February 12, at Spivey Hall at Clayton State University in Atlanta, GA.  In addition, three singers received Encouragement Awards.

The advancing winners were mezzo-soprano Reilly Nelson of Cincinnati, Ohio; tenor Brandon Russell, also from Cincinnati, Ohio; and tenor Alasdair Kent of Philadelphia, PA.

Encouragement Awards went to soprano Alexandria Shiner, Knoxvillian and UT School of Music alumnus; soprano Kaitlyn Johnson of Bloomington, IN; and mezzo-soprano Chelsea Duval-Major of Cincinnati, OH.

The judges were:
• Mark Gibson, music director of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory Philharmonia Orchestra
• Melissa Wegner…

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The Most Famous Reindeer of All

Arts Knoxville

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen,
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names;
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say:
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Then how the reindeer loved him,
As they shouted out with glee,
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You’ll go down in history!”

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Words and Music by Johnny Marks (1949)

A wise parent will embrace the innocence and naiveté of a child, and their awakening cultural interests—no matter how irritating they may be at the time— with full…

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Recital Report: Brahms Chamber Music with Piano Wraps with 7th Recital

Arts Knoxville

Last Monday evening, UT School of Music faculty pianist Kevin Class wrapped up his impressive marathon-like seven recital series of all of the Brahms chamber music with piano.  The series, which began in January of 2014, stretched over three calendar years. Class began with three recitals of the duo sonatas—Cello sonatas with cellist Wesley Baldwin, Clarinet sonatas with Victor Chavez, and Violin Sonatas with Ching-Yi Lin.

The series picked up a year later in February, 2015, with the Trios split over two recitals. On the first  came the Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40, for Piano, Violin, and Horn (Rachel Loseke, violin, and Gray Ferris, horn), then the Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8 (Ruth Bacon, violin, and Wesley Baldwin, cello). On the second recital a month later came the Piano Trio in C Major, Op. 87 (Sara Matayoshi, violin, and Andy Bryenton, cello), the Trio for Piano, Clarinet…

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2016 Winners: Met Opera Mid-South Region Auditions

The auditions for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Mid-South Region was held on Saturday, February 6, 2016, at the Germantown Performing Arts Center in Germantown, TN.

The first place winner who advances to the MONC semi-finals in New York next month is baritone Hunter Enoch. Enoch received a prize of $5800. Enoch is a Tennessee native who studied at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music where he took his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music.

The second place winner was soprano Jessica Faselt, who was a winner from the Middle/East Tennessee District.

There was a tie for the third place prize:  Emmett O’Hanlon, baritone, and Jacqueline Piccolino, soprano. An Encouragement Award went to Nicolette Book, soprano.

The judges were Brian Speck from the Houston Grand Opera and Melissa Wegner of the MET National Council.

(L to R) Nicolette Book, Jacqueline Piccolino, Emmett O’Hanlon, judges Melissa Wegner and Brian Speck, 2nd place – Jessica Faselt, 1st place – Hunter Enoch
(Photo and info courtesy of Metropolitan Opera National Council – Mid-South Region)

Singers for the 2016 Met Opera Mid-South Audition

The Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions for the Mid-South Region will take place this Saturday, February 6, 2016, at the Germantown Performing Arts Center in Germantown, TN. Starting time is 11 am.  One region winner will advance to the national semi-finals in New York City on March 6th.

There are four districts comprising the Mid-South Region: Arkansas, Kentucky, Middle/East Tennessee, and West Tennessee. This year, there are fourteen singers who made the district competition cut.

Soprano
Sareese Arnold
Nicolette Book
Ashley Dannewitz
Jessica Faselt (Middle/East Tennessee District)
Evan Kardon (Middle/East Tennessee District)
Lauren McQuistin (Middle/East Tennessee District)
Jacqueline Piccolino
Kelly Singer
Mary Catherine Wright

Mezzo soprano
Eleni Taluzek
Nicole Woodward

Tenor 
Todd Barnhill (Middle/East Tennessee District)

Baritone
Hunter Enoch
Emmett O’Hanlon

In the Knoxville Mercury: Most Memorable Knoxville Classical Music Performances

Looking for my annual list of Most Memorable Classical Music Performances in Knoxville for 2015? Head on down to your nearest Knoxville Mercury stand or box and pick up this week’s copy***. And, while you are at it, please patronize the Mercury advertisers who make independent journalism in Knoxville possible.

Thanks for reading and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

***If your stand is out of the Knoxville Mercury, it’s on the website here.

Review in the Knoxville Mercury: Lucas Richman’s Final Concert with the KSO

In this week’s Knoxville Mercury, I review last weekend’s concert of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra—a concert that was the final one forLucas Richman as the orchestra’s music director and conductor. The concert included Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with soloist Gabriel Lefkowitz, Mahler’s Adagio from the Tenth Symphony, and Maurice Ravel’s La Valse.  You can read the review online here.

2015 Big Ears Festival is Here!

The 2015 Big Ears Festival, Knoxville’s burgeoning grouping of international avant garde, indie-classical, and other genre-busters, arrives this weekend, March 27-29, in a host of venues in downtown Knoxville. The Kronos Quartet are the artists-in-residence joined by a huge array of other artists including Laurie Anderson, Terry Riley, Max Richter, Tyondai Braxton, Ben Frost, tUnE-yArDs
, Jamie xx, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Bryce Dessner, Jim Jarmusch and SQÜRL, Demdike Stare, Wu Man, the Bad Plus, Bill Frisell & Bill Morrison, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and more. There’s also a huge film component in the festival, as well, curated by Jim Jarmusch.

If you can’t make it to the festival—and especially if you are coming—check out the special section in this week’s Knoxville Mercury. (There’s a special pull-out-and-carry section for readers of the print addition).

The Knoxville Mercury’s First Classical Music Column

Knoxville’s newest alt-weekly, the Knoxville Mercury, launched on Thursday, March 12, much to the relief of Knoxville readers…and certain writers. You can read my inaugural column in the online version here. Upcoming issues will contain a lot of coverage of the Big Ears Festival on March 27-29, so check back often.

2015 Met Opera Mid-South Region Audition Winners

Rich Copley at Copious Notes has the story on the 2015 Mid-South regional Metropolitan Opera competition.