Alumnus - minus one appendix - wins at the Los Angeles District’s Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

Fredonia alumnus Michael Hawk, '16, (Music Performance)  was a winner in the 2020-2021 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the Los Angeles District of the Western Region held on Jan. 9.

Hawk’s success was quite an achievement, considering he went to the emergency room in Pasadena, Calif., early on Christmas morning in distress and later that day had his appendix removed.

Talk about a smooth recovery!

In the competition, Mr. Hawk sang, "The Count's Aria" from “Le Nozze di Figaro” and "Largo al factotum" from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” He noted that there was a prescreening round before the district competition in which approximately 1,000 applicants were narrowed down to 200.

Hawk was one of six winners of the Los Angeles District round, and next will compete in the Western Region on Feb. 27, which will be livestreamed. Both rounds are conducted virtually.

After the regionals are completed, the winners continue to the semifinals and finals in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera.

Fredonia alumni have found great success in this national competition. In 2017, Fredonia alumnus Kyle van Schoonhoven, '11, was a Winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Concert, held at Lincoln Center. The first Fredonia Winner was alumna Barbara Kilduff-O'Farrell, '81, in 1986, with Luciano Pavarotti as one of the judges. She also won the Munich and Tchiakovsky competitions the same year.