Vancouver soprano among winners at Met Opera auditions

Last Updated: Monday, February 25, 2008 | 5:04 PM ET

CBC News

A Vancouver soprano is among the latest batch of up-and-coming opera singers to win the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions.

Soprano Simone Osborne was one of the five singers under the age of 29 who triumphed on Sunday at the annual New York competition, which celebrates a handful of young singers.

The winning five, each of whom receives a cash prize of $15,000, were whittled down from between 1,500 and 2,000 emerging artists in regions across the U.S. and Canada.

The 21-year-old Osborne, a student at the University of British Columbia, has performances across B.C. and in Europe under her belt and was also the 2007 winner of the International Czech and Slovak Voice Competition. Her upcoming performances include a concert at B.C.'s Denman Island Community Hall on March 28.

This year's other winners are: San Antonio tenor Rene Barbera; Indiana baritone Edward Parks and mezzo-sopranos Jennifer Johnson of St. Louis and Daveda Karanas of Mandeville, La.

Since 1954, the Met's National Council Auditions have been held each year to search for new talent for the internationally renowned company's artist development program and to showcase North America's emerging opera talent.

Organizers estimate that about 100 singers who have either taken part in or won the auditions appear on the Met Opera stage each year.

Past winners have included current stars such as Renée Fleming, Deborah Voigt and Canadians Ben Heppner and Isabel Bayrakdarian.