![crocetto%20headshot[1].jpg](http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/ticket/crocetto%2520headshot%5B1%5D.jpg)
Sure, the The San Francisco Opera Merola program owns a stellar reputation as a training ground that kicks out the most promising opera singers around.
But this weekend, when singers performed and competed in the prestigious and uber-competitive Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, three of the five winning spots were awarded to Merola grads.
Soprano Leah Crocetto (pictured, right) who participated in the Merola program in 2008, and is a current San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow, joined soprano Lori Guilbeau (Merola '09) and tenor Nathaniel Peake (Merola '08 & '09) as winners of the 2010 auditions.
Of the nine finalists, two others were also Merola alumni: soprano Rena Harms ('08) and mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani (Merola '09 and a current Adler Fellow).
Each winner receives $15,000. But the plum is not the cash-it's the exposure winning gives a singer. It helps launch a major operatic career. Many singers that now command center stage in the opera world are past Met Auditions winners, including Stephanie Blythe, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Nathan Gunn, Samuel Ramey, and Deborah Voigt.
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions are held annually in 45 districts and 15 regions across the United States and Canada. District winners go to the semi-finals in New York and the finalists have the chance to perform on the historic Met stage for an audience that includes the artistic staff of prestigious opera companies, artist managers, music critics, and other key figures in the opera world.
