Tenor Juan José de León has just been named the winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council's Southwest Regional Auditions in San Antonio, Texas. The selections that won him the distinction included "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!" from Donizetti’s
La Fille du Régiment and "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" from Mozart’s
Die Zauberflöte. Of the former 9 high-C extravaganza he said, "I wanted to wow the audience and judges, and I can roll out of bed and hit a high C, so I gave them what I do best." The next stop for the 26-year old de León will be New York City for the national semifinals competition in March on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. From this round, ten finalists will sing in the Grand Finals Concert accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and broadcast nationwide on the Metropolitan Opera Radio Network. The top prize for five lucky winners is an award of $15,000. Learn more about the tenor and watch a video performance after the jump.
