CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Adelaide Muir, a junior in vocal performance in the School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was among seven singers selected as finalists in the 2004 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
As a finalist, Muir, 601 S. Busey Ave., Urbana, received a $5,000 prize and the opportunity to perform and compete in the National Council Grand Finals Concert on March 21 at the Met, in New York City. During the competition, hosted by Met Board chair Beverly Sills, Muir sang two musical selections, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
The annual auditions program was established by the Met’s National Council “to discover exceptional young talent; to provide a venue for young opera singers from all over the country and at all different levels of experience to be heard by a representative of the Metropolitan Opera, and to assist those with the greatest potential in their development; and to identify new talent for the Metropolitan Opera and for possible participants in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.”
To get to the winners’ circle, Muir first had to compete successfully in a series of district and regional competitions. Winners from 16 regions advanced to the semifinal competition in New York on March 14.
Karl Kramer, director of the U. of I. music school, said Muir’s success in New York reflects well on the school, which has nurtured the talents of a number of opera stars through the years.
“The U. of I. School of Music has a long history of producing great opera singers – from Jerry Hadley to Nathan Gunn,” Kramer said. “The school has a great tradition of teaching as well as opera production.”
