Bass, Utah soprano chosen for Met's regional auditions

Last weekend the Metropolitan Opera National Council district auditions were held in Libby Gardner Concert Hall. Two participants, one with Utah ties, were selected to continue on to the regional level auditions later this month.

Soprano Chanel Wood and bass Edward Hanlon won the auditions out of a field of 59 competitors. They each received a cash prize of $1,000 and the chance to compete in the Rocky Mountain Region auditions in Denver on Jan. 23.

Wood, 26, is a member of the Utah Opera's resident artist program, where she has taken part in performances of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and Bizet's "Carmen" (currently onstage at the Capitol Theatre). With the Utah Symphony, Wood was featured in last season's performances of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass."

Hanlon, 25, lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is an apprentice artist with Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit. He was also a winner at the Utah District auditions last year.

Twenty-five-year old soprano Sheronda McKee of Las Vegas, and 22-year-old soprano Phoenix Luz, a native of Brazil who is working on her bachelor of music degree at BYU, received encouragement awards.

Judging the competition were Ben Heppner, dramatic tenor and 1988 national winner; Diane Zola, artistic administrator for Houston Grand Opera; and Michael W. Egel, artist administrator and director of education for Des Moines Metro Opera.

The Metropolitan Opera auditions are designed to discover and develop promising young opera singers. The auditions are held annually in 15 regions around the United States and Canada. The Utah district is one of 45 within these regions. Regional winners receive a cash prize and will be sponsored to go to New York in February for the National Council Auditions semifinals. The winners of that round perform at the finals concert on stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Each of the finalists receives a $15,000 cash prize.

Further information is available at utahdistrictauditions.org.

e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com