LINCOLN CENTER

Metropolitan Opera
National Council Grand Finals Concert

I want to talk a bit about the National Finals of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.  First, it is a competition with winners and losers.  It is the summation of regionals held all over North America seeking the best young singers to be found.

There were ten singers in the finals who sang two songs.  It was held in the Metropolitan Opera House with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.  The place was packed.

All of the songs were classics as the singers tried to show their voices in the best light.  It was one great performance after another.

The Metropolitan Opera House is a big, beautiful space.  The hand rails are covered with velvet.  The facility is spectacular.

It also is huge.  When a solitary singer stands in the middle of the stage and sings with absolutely no electronic amplification, it becomes a miracle of the human voice and the acoustics of the building that all are able to hear so well.

It's becoming clear that the most impressive, moving performances we've heard in these first few months have been those of the human voice.  What these vocalists do is amazing and beautiful.

Organ at Marble Collegiate today.