Soprano

Lovers of controversy and intrigue must have found it slow going at the Annapolis Opera's 12th annual vocal competition at Maryland Hall Sunday afternoon. By the time the judges had put the eight young singers through their paces, the winner, the two runner-ups and the proper ordinal ranking for the top three finishers couldn't have been clearer. Soprano Angela Fout, a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and a student at New York City's Juilliard School, overshadowed the rest of the field with the lustrous maturity of her voice and her artistic presence.

In the popular imagination, opera stars are presumed to be temperamental. So it wasn't entirely shocking to the opera fans who learned yesterday that the Metropolitan Opera had fired superstar soprano Kathleen Battle on Monday for "unprofessional actions" during rehearsals for a production of Donizetti's "The Daughter of the Regiment."The unprofessional behavior included rude behavior to colleagues; showing up late for rehearsals; repeatedly changing her mind about whether she liked her costume and flying into a new rage with every change; ordering cast members not to look at her when she was singing; and demanding that the director of "The Daughter" change the production so that all her exits and entrances were on the side of the stage closest to her dressing room.

No. 11, Bills: Dr. Jennifer Melfi. It would be nice after failing to rehabilitate Tony Soprano if Dr. Melfi could get another shot at the impossible with Terrell Owens. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/toydept)

Think of Annapolis Opera's Vocal Competition as a hometown version of American Idol - except the tough judges are never rude in evaluating contestants. A record number of 90 aspiring singers from the Mid-Atlantic region auditioned last weekend for a trio of judges: sopranos Jean Carter and Charlotte Wesley and Annapolis Opera music director Ronald J. Gretz. Victoria Waidner, an Annapolis Opera spokeswoman, said the organization was thrilled with the turnout. "We put the announcement on our Web site this year, and that helped.

Handel's "Messiah" is the holiday music of choice in the English-speaking world. And in Baltimore, Edward Polochick's annual performances of "Messiah" with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall have become one of the music season's most respected and beloved events.Joined by soprano Karen Clift, mezzo-soprano Mary Nessinger, bass-baritone Mark Doss and tenor Stewart Neill, Polochick will conduct Handel's masterpiece.The concerts are tomorrow and Saturday at 7: 30 p.m. Tickets$18-$40, and further information are available by calling (410)

Clare Mueller, a soprano from Bernardsville, N.J., won the 30th vocal competition of the Baltimore Opera Competition Saturday night in Friedberg Hall at the Peabody Conservatory. Along with the $10,000 in prize money and contract support that came with first prize, Miss Mueller won an extra $1,000 as the Audience Award winner -- one of the few times in the competition's history that the vote of the judges has coincided with that of the audience.The other six prize winners were : soprano Lisa Erickson of Philadelphia, who won $4,500; bass Eric Owens of Philadelphia, who won $4,000; soprano Kimberly Jones of Chicago, who won $4,000; mezzo-soprano Amy Johnson of Doylestown, Pa., who won $2,000; tenor Christopher Petrucelli of New York, who won $1,000; and tenor Raul Mello of Miami, who won $500.

The Baltimore Choral Arts Society, conducted by Tom Hall, will perform Beethoven's Missa Solemnis at 8 p.m. Thursday at Meyerhoff Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. The soloists are soprano Lisa Daltrius, mezzo Phyllis Pancella, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey and bass Kurt Link. Tickets are $15 to $55. Call 410-783-8000. The Handel Choir of Baltimore, conducted by T. Herbert Dimmock, will perform Verdi's Requiem at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, Morgan State University. The soloists are soprano Ester Hardenberg, mezzo Deidre Palnour, tenor Paul Mow and bass Mark Schnaible.

Margaret Harshaw,88, a soprano and mezzo-soprano who sang at the Metropolitan Opera for 22 seasons, died Friday in Libertyville, Ill.Francis I. Linn,78, died of lymphatic cancer Sunday, days after he was re-elected to a fourth term as mayor of Gettysburg, Pa.Annie Dodge Wauneka,87, a longtime Navajo Nation leader who won the Freedom Medal, the United States' highest civilian honor, for work against tuberculosis, died Monday in Flagstaff, Ariz.H. Richard Hornberger,73, a surgeon whose novel inspired the movie and television series "M*A*S*H," died Nov. 4 in Portland, Maine.

Annapolis Opera. "Tosca," performance in November 1999, and an opera concert, spring of 2000. Needed are spinto soprano, coloratura soprano, mezzo soprano, Puccini tenor, lyric tenor, baritone and bass. Friday-Saturday. To register for audition, call 410-383-8597 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.Pasadena Theatre Company. "Godspell." Cast members needed, also director, stage manager, off-stage help. Send resume to the theater company at P.O. Box 1801, Glen Burnie 21060-1801. Call 410-969-1801.Theatre on the Hill.

The finals concert of Annapolis Opera's 18th Annual Vocal Competition at Maryland Hall on Sunday featured nine singers selected the previous weekend from 75 applicants. Each contestant sang two arias, the first the singer's choice and the second the judges' pick from the five arias each contestant proposed. The $1,800 grand prize and the $500 Director/Conductor Award went to Silver Spring soprano Eun-Hee Kim, 33, a doctoral student at the University of Maryland who also won the $300 Audience Choice Award.