Did anyone see "Operatunity" on PBS?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

It was kind of a "Survivor" for singers, in which the English National Opera went around the UK, looking for non-professional singers to see if it could train them well enough to appear in a full production.

They went from 100 aspirants to 20 to 6, with the original intention of picking only one, but in the end, they picked two, who then shared a single role.

The range of occupations and social classes represented in the group made me wish that we had better musical education in this country. So many of the contestants spoke of how fulfilling it was to sing, even before they got into the opera competition, and how much it helped them emotionally.

I was pleased that the judges picked the two aspirants whose voices I liked best. :-) Neither was your typical opera singer.

The only downside was that I couldn't help thinking of all the hard-working conservatory students who toil in the hope of being noticed by an opera company.

[tjwmason]

1. I saw a few bits when it was broadcast here in Britain

As you say, it really does illustrate what a pity it is that most people get pretty much no exposure to the highest quality music (of any style of genre).

Was that the one where a checkout operator who had given up the possibility of a music career to raise her children won? (It's a while since it was on over here.) That was a particularly affecting story.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. Yes, that was the one

I spotted her as a real talent right away, and I was also immediately impressed by the other winner.