As the singers are brought up to the big leagues of American opera, they study with the company's voice instructors and acting coaches, as well as refining their technical skills and leaning more about the orchestra that will be accompanying them. Some of the students rise to the occasion, some are stricken with anxieties as they face new creative obstacles, and a few are presented with the greatest challenge of all, appearing on stage with some of the finest contemporary artists in classical music in front of a appreciative but very discriminating audience. The Audition received a brief theatrical release and made the rounds of international film festivals before being screened on PBS in the fall of 2009
