Sior: What it takes to be an opera singer
The panel of judges evaluating young singers looked as if they were on an episode of American Idol for opera singers, but Solange Sior, founder and artistic director for the Elgin OPERA, says the comparisons end there.
"It is much more difficult and demanding (to sing opera). It requires hours and hours of training. Just to be able to sing opera takes years. People who compete in American Idol may have just been born with their talent, but in opera, you have to be able to sing really, really high in Italian, German and French. It requires years of training to be able to sing opera," she said.
(Gus Stuertze/For The Courier News)
Elgin OPERA:
In addition, opera singers have to train the muscles in their throat to reach extremely high pitches since they go without microphones or any kind of amplification, she said.
The competition bears more resemblance to an athletic one than a musical one, she said.
"It is like people who are in the Olympics that train and train and train, like a dancer or gymnast. That is more of an accurate comparison," she said.
The Italian restaurant Villa Verone on Douglas Avenue in Elgin provided a fitting setting on Sunday to the stentorian voices of a genre that had its beginnings in Italy in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Contestants chose classical selections as well as more modern pieces, such as George Gershwin's The Man I Love.
Judges selected 14 contestants out of 23 to advance to the final round of competition, which was held Friday at Elgin Community College.
The vocal competition is in its second year and growing in popularity. Even the level of skill has increased over last year as more people have become aware of the contest.
The panel of judges included locally known performers, such as Francesco Milioto, music director of the Skokie Valley Symphony and assistant conductor at Ravinia; baritone Teppei Kono, lead singer in the Elgin Opera production of l'Elisir d'Amore; and sopranos Susan Dennis, Rosemary Schroeder, Tetyana Torzhevska and Sior.
This year's contest drew aspiring opera singers from Elgin, Chicago, Skokie and Round Lake. A crowd of nearly 100 gathered to watch the opera competition at Villa Verone.
Contestants were divided into three groups based on their age. Twinkle Little Star was for ages 12 and younger, Teen Artist was for 13- to 18-year-olds and Young Artists was for ages 19 to 26.
The prizes ranged from $100 to $500, depending on age division.
Sior was not surprised by the number of young opera singers competing in this year's competition. Sior got her start in opera at age 16, and says Elgin OPERA's goal is to reach a general audience and make it appealing to everyone.
"People think that opera is not popular in the younger generation, but that is a misbelief," she said. "Once they get introduced to it, they fall in love with it. When you sing pop, you need a microphone, but when you are singing opera, your whole body vibrates. Even little kids that are introduced to it, they fall in love with it."