The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions program (MONC) is designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. The auditions are held in 55 districts comprising 15 regions in the USA and Canada. Approximately 1500 singers audition annually, starting at the District level, with winners advancing to the
Regional Auditions. Approximately 20-25 Regional winners are brought to New York as National Semi-Finalists for musical preparation under the guidance of the Metropolitan
Opera artistic staff. Approximately 10 Semi-Finalists are advanced to the Grand Finals. Approximately 5 Finalists are selected as National Council winners, and awarded $15,000. About 100 former MONC Auditioners  are on the Metropolitan Opera roster annually.

The Middle and East Tennessee District Auditions alternate yearly between Knoxville and Nashville, and are supported jointly by the Knoxville Opera Guild and the Nashville Opera Guild. The Co-Directors are Jerry Braunstein, for Knoxville, and Shelley Page for Nashville. Knoxville Co-Director-Elect for 2008/9 is Phyllis Driver.
                                               
For the 2006/2007 season, the Auditions were held in Knoxville. The judges were Gayletha Nichols, National Council Auditions Executive Director; Ashley Putnam, Metropolitan Opera soprano; and Robert Lyall, New Orleans Opera General and Artistic Director. UTK student, UT Opera Theater and Knoxville Opera baritone Joel Herold was a District and Region winner and a National Semi-Finalist.

2007-2008  SCHEDULE

For the 2007/ 2008 season the Middle and East Tennessee District Auditions are scheduled to be held in Nashville on Saturday, December 1, 2007. The deadline for postmarking of singers’ applications is November 10, 2007. Application forms, contact information, venue in Nashville and eligibility requirements should be downloaded from the National Council Auditions section of the Metropolitan Opera web site:
:http://www.metopera.org/infodesk/council.html    

District winners will advance to the Mid-South Region Finals in Memphis on Saturday January 19, 2008. The Region winners will be brought to New York for the National
Semi-Finals at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday, February 17, 2008. The
National Finals Concert, with the Metropolitan Opera  Orchestra is scheduled for
Sunday, February 24, 2008.