Deanna Breiwick of Burien not among 5 winners at Met competition finals

NEW YORK — During any competition, whether it's the Olympics figure-skating championship or the Miss America pageant, when it comes time for the winners to be chosen, whoever is hosting the event always speaks of the "unenviable" task facing the judges. So it was Sunday afternoon at the Metropolitan Opera House when mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato graciously presided over the Grand Finals Concert of the Met's 58th annual National Council Auditions.

From nearly 1,500 young singers who had competed in auditions throughout North America, eight finalists had been chosen to sing two arias each with the Met orchestra, conducted by Patrick Summers. When the performances ended, and the judges went off to deliberate, right on cue, DiDonato referred to their "unenviable" job.

But judging singers in their 20s is truly difficult, especially with so much at stake for the finalists, including a $15,000 cash prize for each winner. Comparably gifted pianists in their 20s are much more likely to be technically assured and finished performers. Operatic voices, though, need long nurturing. Most young singers are still working out elements of their technique. Inevitably, the judges for these auditions are assessing the potential of the finalists as much as their actual performances. Moreover, as was made clear by the documentary film "The Audition," which followed the last round of the 2007 competition, performing in this concert could not be more high-pressure.

The first singer Sunday, Philippe Sly, a bass-baritone from Ottawa and at 22 the youngest finalist, was a good example. He began with an aria from Handel's "Rinaldo," singing with a pleasing, healthy sound and clean passagework. If his voice is not (or not yet) that big, it carried well. His second aria, which opened the second half of the program, was the "Song to the Evening Star" from Wagner's "Tannhauser." Sly does not seem at this stage to have the vocal potential for Wagner. Still, this lyrical aria allowed him to display the richness of his voice and his way of shaping long lines.

Deanna Breiwick, 24, a soprano from Burien, came next, singing an aria from Rossini's "Comte Ory," and later on, Nannetta's aria from the last act of Verdi's "Falstaff." Breiwick, if a little cautious, sang with sweet sound and floating high notes. Sly was one of the five winners; Breiwick was not. But if the decisions on these two appealing artists had been reversed, I would have found that judgment just as reasonable.

There was a clear audience favorite, also a winner: Michelle Johnson, 28, a soprano from Pearland, Texas, who brought gleaming sound to the meltingly lyrical aria "Io son l'umile ancella" from Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur," then sang a clean-lined and lyrically arching account of "Dove sono" from Mozart's "Nozze di Figaro." Although there were some breathy notes in her midrange, Johnson seems to have the vocal goods as well as star power.

The other winners were Joseph Lim, 28, a baritone from Seoul, South Korea, who gave an elegant if somewhat small-scale performance of Count Almaviva's Act III aria from "Le Nozze di Figaro," and showed passion and depth in the title character's aria from Borodin's "Prince Igor"; Ryan Speedo Green, 24, a bass-baritone from Suffolk, Va., who sang with hefty sound and dignity in Banco's aria from Verdi's "Macbeth" and brought comedic flair to "La calunnia" from Rossini's "Barbiere di Siviglia"; and Joseph Barron, 25, a bass-baritone from Pittsburgh who was vocally robust in an aria from Bellini's "Sonnambula" and lyrically malevolent in Mephistopheles' serenade from Gounod's "Faust."

Sasha Djihanian, a soprano from Montreal, showed talent and potential in arias from Handel and Puccini. Nicholas Masters, a bass from New Canaan, Conn., impressed with his poignant singing of "Bottom's Dream" from Britten's "Midsummer Night's Dream."

While the judges deliberated, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, fresh from his successful run in the Met's production of Rossini's "Armida" and a Met National Council Auditions winner 10 years ago, sang splendid accounts of Nadir's confession of love from Bizet's "Pearl Fishers" and the showstopper "Ah! mes amis" from Donizetti's "Fille du Regiment," complete with ringing, effortless high Cs. His performance was a reminder that among the finalists this year there were no tenors. There were also no mezzo-sopranos. This is just how things turn out sometimes in competitions.

The auditions have an excellent track record of finding stars. But as DiDonato reminded the audience, this is not the only way to the Met stage. She never entered the competition.