On Sunday at noon, James Kryshak walked onto the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in a three-piece suit and embarked on one of the most important auditions for a young singer on the continent.
“For an American, this is the competition,” said Kryshak, 25. “It’s very, very exciting. I never expected this to happen so soon.”
Kryshak — a high lyric tenor and UW-Madison student working on his master’s degree of music in opera performance — was one of two singers chosen from the Upper Midwest last month to advance to the semifinals of the Met’s National Council Auditions.