It may be opera, but the fat lady is not yet singing for Kent tenor Noah Baetge as he makes his way through the Metropolitan Opera Council National Auditions.
During the semi-final round Feb. 15, Baetge was selected as one of eight Grand Finalists who will compete on the Metropolitan stage Sunday for a chance at $15,000.
Up to five of the eight finalists will be chosen winners
Baetge, who is still in New York City for the competition, said via e-mail that the stage at the Metropolitan Opera House is “daunting,” but a crowd filled with friends, family and guests of the semi-finalists was “oddly comforting” and helped give him the confidence to move on to the finals.
Baetge said he wasn’t feeling well the week prior to the competition and worried about his voice for the performance, but sang his two songs well enough to move on.
During the semis, Baetge and the other competitors, all of whom made their way through regional competitions before being selected to sing in New York, sang with just a piano accompaniment.
“Again, I was surprised to have move forward,” he wrote. “I felt that I sang well, but (there are) so many good talents here…”
For the finals, the remaining eight singers will need to perform their work, for which they are rehearsing in the interim week.
“This week is not hugely busy, but full with drama coachings with house director Peter McClintock and our maestro Patrick Summers,” Baetge wrote in an e-mail. “Also we will be meeting the orchestra this Friday, which of course adds its own set of nerves.”
Baetge said he is enjoying his time in New York City, where the Met has put him and the other finalists up at the Empire Hotel, across the street from Lincoln Center, home of the Met, the New York Philharmonic and the Ballet. But Baetge said he is not a huge sight-seer, instead focusing on his work.
Baetge will perform in the Grand Finals Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific.
The concert will be broadcast nationwide on the Metropolitan Opera Radio Network.
For more information, visit http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/auditions/national/
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