Met to hold global opera auditions in Seoul

Metropolitan Opera House, one of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, will audition Korean singers next month to perform on the New York stage, the New York International Opera Project said Monday.

Lenore Rosenberg, casting director of the Met, will visit Korea from July 8-11 as part of a global audition tour held by international audition group The New York International Opera Project. Opera houses looking for Korean talent include Los Angeles and Palm Beach opera houses, which will also dispatch their casting staff as judges for the event.

This is the first time for international powerhouses to hold auditions in Korea.

Three of those selected will be given a chance to perform on main stages or affiliate programs at international opera houses, or work with some of the world’s leading agencies, said the NYIOP.

“The NYIOP decided to hold the first audition in Korea because they have seen Korean singers winning internationally prestigious music competitions recently, including Maria Callas Music Competition and Queen Elisabeth Music Competition,” said Yoon Ji-hyun of The Musik Haus, which is handling the audition process in Korea, in collaboration with NYIOP.

“For example, a Korean girl named Hong Hye-ran who won the Queen Elisabeth music competition in 2011 was featured in a documentary film on Korean music prodigies and music education by a Belgian production.”

According to Yoon, there are many Korean students looking forward to this kind of opportunity because many of them who studied abroad had to return home after failing at overseas casting calls.

However, Met is no stranger to Korean singers. Diva soprano Hong Hei-kyung made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House after winning the 1982 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition and has been on the main stage at the opera house for about 30 years.

“This will be a great opportunity for Koreans to build their international career,” Hong was quoted by saying to local media.

The registration for the Korea auditions, which take place at Blue Square in Hannam-dong in central Seoul, closes on July 3 at nyiop.appointy.com.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)