Here in Boston, the chorus auditions for Boston Lyric Opera are held once a
year in the spring. Principals are cast through management and other
connections. We are lucky here because BLO is great about casting local
singers in small roles, and because they don't make as big a caste
distinction between chorister and soloist as many other companies. (Last
year, the BLO Zerlina also sang in the chorus for some other productions.)
There are other smaller companies which cast almost exclusively with local
talent, such as Boston Academy of Music, Concert Opera Boston, Boston
Baroque, etc.
Lea Ann, the situation you describe in Kansas City is not particularly
unusual, as you can see! The major regional opera companies are much more
competitive than someone new to the professional opera world might think.
(No offense meant; I don't know your background.) There is an assumption
that a talented local singer can't possibly be as seasoned as a singer who
is making the rounds of all the regional companies. Sometimes it's true,
sometimes it's not -- and it can certainly be frustrating for singers who
choose to stay local for their own reasons.
NGL
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