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CASTING CALL OF A LIFETIME
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Once the judges had chosen the contestants who would appear before them, the real work began. "Voices are very individual, and not everybody likes every voice -- even when it is a good one!" according to King. With her background as a vocal coach, she spotted the shortcomings in each singer's technique that could be fixed quickly and those that would require more time. "All the members of the panel were (and are) very experienced in listening to operatic voices of every size, shape, and age," said King, and they listened for many things.
But before they sang, the contestants did a few group improvisation exercises. "This meant that we had a pretty good idea of their raw musical skills before they began to sing their solo piece," said King. During their solos, the judges "listened to many different things simultaneously -- the voice, the performance and communication of the music, the intensity and honesty of the expression, the insight into the music, the appropriate (or inappropriate) style of delivery," and more. It's a subjective experience, as every AMERICAN IDOL fan knows, and what appeals to one listener may drive another up the wall.
The other big consideration was to find voices that could be heard inside the large London Coliseum, the ENO's home. With almost 3,000 seats, "no small voice can be heard in there," wrote King. There aren't microphones for singers to depend on in case a singer can't keep up the volume the entire evening, either. The contestants would have to be able to work up to singing there or they wouldn't advance.
The panel selected two winners, Jane Gilchrist and Denise Leigh, who shared the soprano role of Gilda, the hunchback Rigoletto's daughter, and ended up bringing down the house. At the beginning of the competition, it was daunting for the judges to think that there might be undiscovered opera singers hiding unknown among the British population. But hearing the results of the search onstage, at one of the world's finest opera venues, showed that their work paid off for both the singers and the audience, who delighted in seeing one of their own on the other side of the footlights.
Top banner photos: OPERATUNITY winner Denise Leigh; judges John Fraser, Mary King, Paul Daniel, and Leah Hausman; winner Jane Gilchrist |
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As part of their in-person auditions, the 110 regional finalists also participated in group workshops. |
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Winner Jane Gilchrist gets vocal coaching from ENO panel member Mary King. |
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This program is not available on VHS or DVD. |
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