Soprano Makes Strong Showing at Met Auditions

Tharanga Goonetilleke ’05 was one of three winners at the Metropolitan Opera S.C. District auditions held in Columbia on Nov. 17. She was also voted Audience Favorite.

The auditions drew 27 participants from throughout S.C. and surrounding states. The winners were selected by an instructor at Juilliard, a professional opera singer and a professional pianist-all from New York. With her showing at the district level, Tharanga is now qualified to compete in the regional auditions to be held in Atlanta on Feb. 22.

Tharanga is a soprano from Sri Lanka, and is a student of Dr. Beverly Hay, Professor of Voice at Converse. “I was really excited when Dr. Hay encouraged me to enter the Met auditions,” said Tharanga. “It was quite a challenge to take part in the auditions. I was nervous, but once I got on stage, it felt like another performance.”

The auditions, which are organized by the The Metropolitan Opera National Council, are designed to discover exceptional young talent for The Met; provide a venue for young opera singers from all over the country and at all different levels of experience to be heard by a representative of the Metropolitan Opera and to assist those with the greatest potential in their development, and identify participants for the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, which is designed to nurture the most talented young artists through training and performance opportunities.