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The Audition, directed by Susan Froemke is a captivating documentary that profiles 11 everyday people selected in 2007 for the grand finals in their pursuit of possibly becoming the next Luciano Pavarotti or Renée Fleming. Beyond the intense pressures and grueling rehearsals, we meet individuals with amazing stories like Michael Fabiano and Ryan Smith. Michael Fabiano, a 22-year-old tenor from Philadelphia, PA, has one dream and that is to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. You see his passion for classical music from practicing with his vocal coach to his moving final audition on the Metropolitan stage that is so emotional that a tear rolls down his face. You can’t help but to root for him the entire film. Ryan Smith, a 30-year-old tenor from Decatur, GA, tells a compelling story of not having formal vocal training, but always wanting to pursue a career in opera. Feeling like this was his last chance to achieve this goal, he made a promise to his parents that if he doesn’t achieve a career in Opera within a year, he would enroll in graduate school.
Regardless if you are a fan of classical music or not, it is inevitable that you will be rooting Michael, Ryan or the nine other finals, Jamie Barton, 25, a mezzo-soprano from Bloomington, IN; Kiera Duffy, 27, a soprano from New York, NY; Dísella Làrusdóttir, 30, a soprano from Levittown, PA; Ryan McKinny, 26, a baritone from Houston, TX; Angela Meade, 29, a soprano from Philadelphia, PA; Nicholas Pallesen, 28, a baritone from Tallahassee, FL; Matthew Plenk, 24, a tenor from Hartford, CT; Alek Shrader, 25, a tenor from Oberlin, OH; and Amber L. Wagner, 26, a soprano from Phoenix, AZ.
Like American Idol, the film The Audition will have you holding on to the bitter end to see which five individuals will be selected through this prestigious audition to win $15,000 in a cash prize and a possible invitation to join the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.