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Local Tenor Wins at Met Audition Regionals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CLASSICAL BLOG
This time last year, tenor Ryan Smith had come back from a three-year hiatus from singing and wowed the crowd at the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions at Spivey Hall — but he left the regionals empty handed.
Sunday afternoon, the 30-year-old Decatur resident opened with the same aria as last year, “E la solita storia del pastore” from Cilea’s “L’Arlesiana,” and walked away with top prize, advancing to the finals in New York City. The Morehouse graduate was accompanied by Atlanta Opera’s highly regarded chorusmaster Walter Huff.
“We’ve invested a lot in Ryan and we’re thrilled with his progress,” said Atlanta Opera general director Dennis Hanthorn. A member of the opera chorus, Smith had a small but noticible part of “Porgy and Bess” last season — as Crab Man — and sang a solo recital at the Woodruff Arts Center in the fall sponsored by the opera. “Ryan’s got talent and tenacity, and he makes an impression on people,” Hanthorns added. “He’s got the goods for a serious professional career.”
Unlike “American Idol,” Met auditions don’t insure household-name status and a record contract, although a few of today’s opera stars, from Jessye Norman to Renee Fleming, have passed through the competition.
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