By Nicole Mills

In these times of uncertainty, nobody has been able to conduct business as usual.

This is even more true for soprano Jacinta Barbachano. She is among the 29 young Mexican opera singers who will participate in the first virtual auditions of the MetOpera National Council’s  (MONC) Mexico District on Dec. 17.

Back in May, MONC announced that the entire audition cycle would be virtual for the 2020-2021 season. As a result, all candidates for this year’s auditions were required to submit a video with their application.

From the day her submission to MONC was accepted, Barbachano has deepened her knowledge of the complexities of virtual technology.

The young opera singer approaches virtual opera performances with the same understanding she has of live opera: “Like my friend opera singers, I choose arias that mean something to me.” She quotes her favorite opera singer Maria Callas: “To sing is an expression of your being. Become the character. Be true to yourself.”

Barbachano also puts a lot of trust in the technicians who make virtual performances work: “because they know not only about camera, light and sound. They hear the music, they feel its vibrations, and make everything sound and look fabulous,” she adds.

She is a risk taker and a winner. In 2019 she switched from mezzo to soprano, barely two months before her first appearance at the MONC auditions. All three judges agreed that she has made the right decision. One of the judges even said that she had a “Russian soprano sound.”

Barbachano is entering the 2020-2021 MONC virtual auditions with confidence, a new repertoire, and an expanded comfort zone. “The MONC auditions have taught me discipline, tenacity, and belief in myself and my talent. I would not miss the MONC auditions for the world!” she says with a big smile.

For more information on the upcoming MONC auditions, please go to sanmigelmetopera.org