News / Articles February 2010 Upper Midwest Region 2010 Winners Judges Gayletha Nichols, Joshua Major, and Patricia Wise chose mezzo soprano Emily Fons from the Wisconsin District as the Upper Midwest Region Auditions winner today at the Ordway Center in St. Paul, MN.  Emily's Prize of $5,500 was donated by the Twin Cities Opera Guild, the Boss Foundation, and Frank and Lynda Sharbrough in memory of Helmut Friedlaender.  She will also receive the Mrs. Edgar Tobin Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council and an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to compete in the National Auditions Semi-Finals on March 7, and possibly the Grand Finals on March 14. Pictured from the left are Regional Co-Director Judy Boylan, 3rd place winner Jill Phillips, Encouragement Winner Jesse Enderle, 1st place winner Emily Fons, judge Joshua Major, 2nd place winner James N Kryshak, Encouragement Winner Thomas Gunther, Regional Associate Chairman Lynda Sharbrough, and Regional Co-Director Margaret Houlton. * * * Dear Opera Lovers, Our Auditions Committee for the Upper Midwest Region has once again done a great job in putting on the MET Opera auditions here in Minnesota.  If you'd like to help this very dedicated group of volunteers continue to bring successful auditions events to Minnesota every year, please don't hesitate to send a tax-deductible donation to Treasurer Laura Pulju at 32 South 10th Ave, Suite 214, Hopkins, MN  55343.  We can't do this without the support of everyone in this community!  Thank you all for what you have done to make the Auditions process truly wonderful for the singers and for audiences everywhere.  It doesn't happen without you. Very truly yours, Margaret Houlton and Judy Boylan MONC Upper Midwest Auditions Co-Directors     January 2010 Minnesota District Winners: James Kryshak Evelyn Nelson Greer Davis Encouragement Awards: Rachel Traughber Hope Osborn North Dakota District Winners Sandra Bender,  Soprano, Age 29 from Winnipeg Rosanna Murphy,  Soprano, age 24 from Winnipeg,  and Jennifer Shaw,  Soprano, age 24 from Winnipeg. Encouragement Award: Byong Yoon, a 23 year old tenor from Winnipeg.   Wisconsin District Winners: Andrew Stenson Colleen Brooks Emily Fons Meghan Dewald Jesse Enderle Priscilla Jane Smith Encouragement Awards: Celeste Fraser Amber McKoy Melissa Harvey Emily Birsan Rhea Olivacce Kristin Schwecke   Iowa District Winners: Allison Buivid, soprano Kelly Kruse, soprano Jill Philips, mezzo-soprano   Nebraska District Winners: Thomas Gunther, baritone Alyssa Nance, soprano Patrick O'Halloran, tenor Encouragement Awards: Jeni Houser, Soprano Beth Deutmeyer, Soprano Bethany Eckloff, Soprano     September 2009 The 57th Annual Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Minnesota is upon us! All auditions events are free and open to a public audience.  Please join us on the following days: November 14th, 10AM Minnesota District Auditions, at the McKnight Theatre, Ordway Center, St. Paul, MN November 15th, 1PM Minnesota District Master Class, at the Minnesota Opera Center, Minneapolis, MN February 6th, 2010 12noon Upper Midwest Region Auditions, at the Ordway Center, St. Paul MN * * * The Upper Midwest Committee is pleased to announce as Minnesota District's new Co-Director Ms. Lori Kustritz.  Lori and Margaret will work tirelessly to bring you a smooth, well-produced District Audition on November 14. In other news, the Committee felt the McKnight Theatre was an appropriate setting for the Districts, and we thank Kevin Smith of the Minnesota Opera and Patricia Mitchell of the Ordway Center for allowing us to use the space this year. Singers, please use the application found on this website to reserve your spot on November 14.  We will take only the first 30 singers, so send in a completed application and all the required elements EARLY.  And don't forget the Master Class at the Minnesota Opera Center the next day.    January 2009 NEWS OF THE DAY Judges Diane Zola, Carol Crawford, and Andreas Melinat chose two First Place winners to advance to the Semi-Finals in New York next month: Kate Crist, soprano from Cedar Falls, Iowa District James Kryshak, tenor from Madison, Wisconsin District Second Place went to Meghan Dewald, soprano from Bloomington Indiana, representing the Wisconsin District Third Place went to Janalyn Bump, soprano from Cambria Wisconsin representing the Minnesota District An Encouragement Award was given to Rebecca Woodmass of Winnipeg, Canada representing the North Dakota District. Over $16,000 in prize money was given out on Saturday, making the Upper Midwest one of the highest-paying Regional Audition in the country.  Stay tuned for more on our winners as they compete on February 15 in the Semi-Finals in New York.   December 2008 OUR NEXT CONTEST The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Upper Midwest Region are scheduled for January 17, 2009 at noon, at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.  The Auditions are free and open to a public audience.   November 2008 THE RESULTS ARE IN On November 8 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota District judges Danielle Orlando, Diane Elias, and Mark Gibson chose: Janalyn Bump, soprano from Wisconsin, to advance to the Upper Midwest Region Auditions in January. Janalyn won $2,000.  Two Encouragement Awards in the amount of $650 were given to Eric Neuville, tenor also from Wisconsin, and Nicole Percifield, mezzo soprano from Canada. - - - - - The Wisconsin District had four winners this year, each receiving $2,200 and a chance to compete at the Upper Midwest Region Auditions in January: Meghan Dewald Jesse Enderle James Kryshak Jamie Van Eyck Four ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS OF $1000 EACH were given to the following singers: Emily Fink Angela Kloc Andrew Kroes Katherine Weber - - - - - The North Dakota District had two winners this year: Kate Crist Vivien Shotwell - - - - - The Iowa District had three winners this year: Jennifer Sproule Rebecca Woodmass Bryan Boyce - - - - - The Nebraska District had two winners this year: Beth Neuerburg Tricia Van Ee   November 2008 Minnesota District Auditions Dear Opera Lovers, The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Minnesota District will take place on Saturday, November 8 at 10AM, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, MN.  The auditions are free and open to a public audience! Young singers ages 20 to 30 years old will compete for prizes of up to $1,000 and a chance to sing in the Upper Midwest Region Auditions on January 17 at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis.  If a singer wins the Regional, they go on to New York for the Semi Finals and possibly even the Grand Finals with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra on February 22. Also, please join us at the MONC MN District Master Class on Sunday, November 9 at 1PM.  Singers from the auditions will perform for Danielle Orlando of the Curtis Institute, Room 225 at the U of MN's School of Music, Ferguson Hall.  FREE! For more information on the history, rules, and winners of the contest, please visit www.moncuppermidwest.org Margaret Houlton, Director MONC MN District August 2008 THE UPPER MIDWEST REGION COMMITTEE IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE 2008-09 METROPOLITAN OPERA NATIONAL COUNCIL AUDITIONS Wisconsin District - October 18, 2008 at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, WI - Applications must be postmarked by October 24, 2008 Minnesota District - November 8, 2008 at Ordway Center for the Arts in St. Paul, MN - Applications must be postmarked by October 24, 2008 North Dakota District - November 22, 2008 at Hughes Fine Arts building, University of North Dakota campus, Grand Forks, ND - Applications must be received by: November 10, 2008 Iowa District - December 6, 2008 at the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall in Ames, IA - Applications must be received by November 11, 2008 Nebraska District - November 22, 2008 at O'Donnell Auditorium, Wesleyan University, Lincoln NE  - Applications must be received by October 29, 2008 The Upper Midwest Regional Auditions - January 17, 2009 at Ted Mann Concert Hall, U of MN Minneapolis, MN For APPLICATION and Audition Regulations, PLEASE CLICK HERE >> (PDF) April 2008 CHORUS POLARIS Dr Hoffacker welcomes new singers to join Chorus Polaris for the next pair of concerts performed on June 7 & June 8 and of course next season. Note the wonderful music that will be performed this June titled "Fascinating Rhythm": Madrigals, Spirituals, Gospel, and Gershwin (with musical guests John Jensen Trio). Refer to the list of musical compositions below. Also on June 8 the sopranos and altos join the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Debussy's Nocturnes. Rehearsals are a blast!!!!!!!!!  As we discussed at our meeting, next years' program may prove to be very interesting. Rehearsals are Tuesdays - 7 pm thru 9 pm at First Lutheran Church located at 1555 40th Avenue NE, Columbia Heights, Mn in the Bach Room. Dr. John Hoffacker Artistic Director, Chorus Polaris For more information, please email Don Ostlund at bobdonostlund@aol.com   January 2008 THE WINNERS ARE IN We had three First Place winners from Saturday's event who will go to New York City to compete at the Semi-Finals on February 17: FIRST PLACE: Tom McNichols, Kyle Albertson, and Cory J Renbarger SECOND PLACE: Christopher Job THIRD PLACE: Lucas Harbour Encouragement: Karen Jesse The three winners of the Upper Midwest Regional Audition - Kyle Albertson, Cory Renbarger, Tom McNichols - just finished recording some arias and an interview with John Birge at Minnesota Public Radio. The piece is going to air on MPR here in the Twin Cities on February 15 or 16, right before the Semi Finals.   January 2008 METROPOLITAN OPERA NATIONAL COUNCIL AUDITIONS FOR THE UPPER MIDWEST REGION * * * Free and open to a public audience * * * January 19, 2008 at 12 NOON Ted Mann Concert Hall 2128 Fourth Street South Minneapolis, MN  55455 tedmann@umn.edu  Thirteen singers from five districts within the Upper Midwest Region will compete for prizes of up to $5,000 and a free trip to New York for the Semi Finals on February 17 and possibly the Grand Finals Concert on February 24 with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and prizes of $15,000 each.  For a list of the contestants, please go to Upper Midwest Region page >> MASTER CLASS with CYNTHIA MUNZER and Upper Midwest Region singers Free and open to a public audience January 20, 2008 at 1PM Landmark Center, Room 317 75 West 5th St St. Paul, MN  The auditions and Master Class are sponsored by the Twin Cities Opera Guild, Minnesota Opera, University of Minnesota, the Boss Foundation, Oakleaf Foundation, Alice M O'Brien Foundation, Charles Cleveland Foundation, and the Schubert Club.   November 2007 Minnesota winners: Scott Johnson Nicholas Nelson Alyssa Anderson Tom McNichols Elisabeth Bieber Kyle Albertson We had six singers who each got $1,000 for First Prize (from left to right): Scott Johnson, Nicholas Nelson, Alyssa Anderson, Tom McNichols, Elisabeth Bieber, and Kyle Albertson - and Bryan Boyce, who got an Encouragement Award of $300.   October 2007 Wisconsin winner: Lucas Harbour, bass-baritone Lucas Harbour is in his first  year with Chicago Opera Theatre's diploma program where he studies with Richard  Stilwell. He just completed his Masters in Voice from Roosevelt University. This summer he was repeatedly thrashed by Cassio as Montano in Des  Moines Metro Opera's production of Verdi's Otello. He also covered Theseus in Britten's Midsummer as well at DMMO. In February he escaped  the cruel Chicago winter to sunny Santa  Barbara, CA where he  performed Tom in Opera Santa Barbara's production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. Lucas is proud that he just competed as a finalist for the Ryan Opera Center's 2008-2009  young artist program of Chicago Lyric. Wisconsin District >>   Season 2007/2008 - Dates The 2007-2008 season auditions for the Upper Midwest Region will be as follows: MINNESOTA - November 17, 2007 at 10AM at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN - application deadline: Nov. 2, 2007 WISCONSIN - October 13, 2007 at Shattuck Hall, Carrol College, Waukesha, WI - application deadline: Sep. 26, 2007 NORTH DAKOTA - November 17, 2007 at Hughes Fine Arts Bldg, UND, Grand Forks, ND - application deadline: Nov. 10, 2007 IOWA - January 5, 2008 at Nartha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall at ISU, Ames, IA - application deadline: Dec. 10, 2007 NEBRASKA - December 1, 2007 at Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE - application deadline: Nov. 2, 2007 Upper Midwest Region - January 19, 2008 at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota West Bank Campus,  Minneapolis, MN April, 2007 "Idol" for the Operatically Inclined This article from the New York Times describes the audition process very well >> click here to read     Season 2006/2007 - Awards The following singers were presented with $15,000 each at the Grand Finals in New York on April 1, 2007: Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano, Tri-State Region Michael Fabiano,  tenor, New England Region Angela Meade, soprano, Northwest Region Alek Shrader, tenor, Rocky Mountain  Region Ryan Smith, tenor, Southeast Region Amber L. Wagner, soprano, Western Region     February 17, 2007 The winners from Saturday's Auditions at the Ordway are: Joshua Kohl, tenor, Minnesota District - First Prize Lindsay Ammann, mezzo soprano, MN District - First Prize Timothy Kuhn, baritone, Iowa District - Second Prize Jamie-Rose Guarrine, soprano, MN District - Third Prize Hein Jung, soprano, Wisconsin District - Encouragement Catherine Daniel, mezzo soprano, North Dakota  District - Encouragement Icy Rene Simpson, soprano, Iowa District - Encouragement Krysty Swann, mezzo soprano, Nebraska District - Mezzo Award The First Prize winners received $5,000 each from the Upper Midwest Region and the $800 Tobin Award from New York. They will both  go to New York representing the Minnesota District of the Upper Midwest Region on March 25 at the Semi-Finals on the Metropolitan Opera stage. From there, they may advance to the Grand Finals on April 1 with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and possibly win up to $15,000.     January, 2007 The METROPOLITAN OPERA National Council Upper Midwest Region holds AUDITIONS to advance up to three singers to the Semi-Finals and possibly Grand Finals in New York. Contact:  Margaret Houlton, Metropolitan Opera National Council Upper Midwest Region Committee (952)-938-6908 mhoulton[at]comcast.net Minneapolis/St. Paul, January, 2007 – Minnesota will once again be the site of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Upper Midwest Region. Participating singers have all won their respective District Auditions, competing in Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Minnesota during the past few months.  There may be as many as eighteen young opera hopefuls competing against one another on Saturday, February 17 beginning at noon at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The event is free and open to the public, and no reservations are required. The Upper Midwest Region may advance up to three singers to represent their districts in the National Semi-Finals in New York on March 25 and possibly the Grand Finals with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra on April 1, 2007. The Regional Auditions for the MET began over 50 years ago in 1954 on February 12, right here in Minnesota when Dr. James Lombard of the University of Minnesota and Mrs. Vivian O’Gara Weyerhaeuser got together and planned the MET’s pilot program for one hundred and twenty-six contestants.  Soprano Ethel Wagner DeLong won the contest and was sent to New York to compete in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air where she didn’t win the finals, but her career was greatly enhanced by the experience. Since then, the Upper Midwest Region has produced several Grand Finals winners in New York, including tenor Eric Cutler who recently performed the role of Arturo in I Puritani during a live, high-definition broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera production in local movie theatres all over the country. For photos or more details about the Upper Midwest Regional Auditions in Minnesota, please contact Margaret Houlton or visit the website www.moncuppermidwest.org For more information about the live MET Opera broadcasts, please go to www.metoperafamily.org. Again, details about the next audition are below: Upper Midwest Regional Auditions Saturday, February 17, 2007 12:00 noon Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul Free and Open to the public     Winners for the 2006 M.O.N.C. MN District Auditions November 4, 2006 at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts The slate was full of talented young singers from all over the country as each  one came to the X in front of the grand piano onstage at the Ordway and sang  their heart out. Our illustrious panel of judges included American singers Erie  Mills and John Stephens and the talented opera coach Danielle Orlando. It was a  hard decision, but four winners were finally chosen from the 23 contestants: Lindsay Amman, mezzo-soprano, Jamie-Rose Guarrine, soprano, Kyle D. Albertson, bass-baritone, and Joshua Kohl, tenor. They each received a total of $800 in prize money and will go on to compete  in the upcoming Regional Auditions for the Upper Midwest on February 17, 2007 at  the Ordway Center in St. Paul. Read more >>

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