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UW graduate student to fulfill dream, sing in New York

Tenor wins regional competition; $15,000 grand prize in reach

Performing at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House is among an opera singer’s wildest dreams, and one of the University of Wisconsin’s own has earned his chance to do just that.

On Feb. 15, UW graduate student and tenor opera singer Jim Kryshak will perform at the MET after advancing to the Metropolitan National Council Auditions’ semifinal round in New York City.

The National Council Auditions are an annual competition designed to discover young opera singers and help them on their road to fame. The program is administered by the National Council and held in 15 regions in the United States and Canada.

Winning the district round in Milwaukee and the regional round in Minneapolis propelled Kryshak to New York, where he will be able to achieve one of his lifelong goals in opera.

“It’s every opera’s singer’s dream to sing at the MET opera.” Kryshak said. “I’ve been doing this, and practicing for it for my whole life, so it’s a pretty big thing for me.”

If he wins in the semifinals at the MET, Kryshak will sing in the Grand Finals concert and have the chance to win a $15,000 prize. However, according to Kryshak, just the trip to New York and the opportunity to sing on the MET stage will be amazing.

A Baldwinsville, N.Y., native, Kryshak came to UW two years ago from Amherst College to work privately with UW Vocal Area Chair Julia Faulkner.

Faulkner, a 1985 National Council Auditions Grand Final Champion, spotted Kryshak’s talent during a summer program she works with in Austria and convinced him to study with her at UW.

“His potential is limitless” Faulkner said. “I could tell from the first time I heard his voice, even undeveloped, that this was a world class singer with world class potential.”

Kryshak credits Faulkner’s guidance and performances as a lead in the UW productions of Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande,” Verdi’s “Don Pasquale” and Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” for his recent accomplishments in the auditions.

“[Faulkner’s] shaping of my voice and my ability to sing three operas with the UW opera program has really prepared me for the stage,” Kryshak said. “My voice has built quite a bit since I’ve been here over the last two years.”

Kryshak has also been a featured tenor in other UW and European ensembles and can be seen in Maura Bosch’s “Art and Desire” this coming February.

Although Kryshak currently plans to stay in Madison after completing his master’s degree in opera this May, he said he would consider any offers he might receive from opera companies, in the states or abroad, to work for them.

“If the shoe fits, I’ll take it. However, it all depends if I am offered anything and if it is the correct kind of offer,” Kryshak said.

Competing alongside Krayshak in the Minneapolis regional was another UW graduate — student soprano Jamie Van Eyck — who, according to Faulkner, will also be noticed for her tremendous talent in years to come.