Nick Brownlee Wins Met Opera National Council Regionals

posted Jan 24, 2011 7:16 AM by Ward Miller

University of South Alabama Department of Music student Nicholas Brownlee was the first place winner of the Gulf Coast Regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New Orleans, Louisiana, held Sunday, January 23 at Loyola University. Brownlee, a student in the voice studio of Dr. Thomas Rowell, will advance to the National Semi-Final round to be held at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, New York during the second week of March, 2011. If chosen to advance, he will perform live in a national broadcast of the Grand Finals round onstage at the Metropolitan Opera with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra on Sunday, March 13, 2011. Five Grand Finalists are chosen as winners, each receiving a cash prize of $15,000 and the potential opportunity to study in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Brownlee, a bass baritone, performed "Come dal ciel precipita" from Verdi's Macbeth and Mozart's "Non piu andrai" from Le Nozze di Figaro in yesterday's competition. He was immediately invited to perform on a Master Class held at Loyola University on Monday, January 24, with competition judges Gayletha Nichols of the Metropolitan Opera, Ruth Golden of Long Island University, and Nicholas G. Russel, Artistic Director of Boston Lyric Opera.

"We're very proud of Nick's accomplishments," said Dr. Greg Gruner, USA's Chair of the Department of Music. "This is just another outward sign of and reward for the hard work and excellent teaching happening in the vocal area here at South Alabama. Congratulations to Nick and to Dr. Thomas Rowell, his teacher."