Meadows graduate crowned at Met Opera National Council Auditions

Stephen Hartley, who earned a Master of Music in vocal performance at SMU in 2001, has won first place in both the district and regional levels for the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He now advances to the national semifinals March 24 on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Hartley, who currently lives in New York, won in the highly competitive Eastern region, which includes New York City and surrounding areas.

“This is a huge accomplishment for Stephen,” Meadows voice professor Virginia Dupuy said. “Stephen also will be an apprentice this summer at the Santa Fe Opera, covering the role of Marcello in La Boheme. He is a very accomplished baritone, with a gorgeous voice and wonderful acting ability.”

Dupuy said that the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions represent a strong endorsement for the Meadows voice department, as well.

“This is a great thing for SMU Music,” she said. “Valerie Vinzant (B.M., ’06) just won the Met’s district competition in St. Louis and came in third in the Midwest regionals. This is a major stepping stone to their careers.”

Hartley is one of approximately two dozen semifinalists; at the March 24 event, approximately 10 will be selected as national finalists and will compete the following Sunday in a public concert, the Grand Finals Concert, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The jury will award up to five Grand Winner awards of $15,000 each. The concert is broadcast nationwide on the Metropolitan Opera Radio Network. The remaining national finalists will receive $5,000 each, and those singers who were national semifinalists but did not advance to the national finals will be given $1,500 to further their studies.

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. The auditions are held annually in 15 regions of the United States and Canada. There are 45 districts within these regions. The auditions are administered by National Council members and volunteers in each region.