Soprano Jessica Cates and tenor Stefan Barner, second year graduate students at the UT School of Music and members of the Knoxville Opera Studio, were two winners in the Middle/East Tennessee District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and competed in the Mid-South Regional Finals last week.
These singers, both students of UT's Andrew Wentzel, seem poised for great careers. Both Cates and Barner were invited to participate in the Glimmerglass Opera Young Artist Program this summer. And Cates has received two contracts with Fort Worth Opera for next season. Barner is currently cast in Knoxville Opera's Lucia di Lammermoor as Normanno. And both will appear in the Knoxville Opera production of The Pirates of Penzance in March as well as UT Opera Theatre's Gianni Schicchi that will be part of UT Opera Theatre's offering in Knoxville Opera's Rossini Festival in April.
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