Raised by a father who is a plastic surgeon and a mother who works as a registered nurse, Ann Quintero faced a world of opportunities.
As a child, the Music senior considered following her parents’ footsteps into the medical profession. Later, Quintero said she considered the possibility of going into business and accounting.
But all along, she said, she had an underlying desire to perform professionally.
“I loved to show off and I had no sense of embarrassment,” Quintero said. “Basically, I was a pain in the ass.”
This love of the stage has carried Quintero further than anything she had imagined possible. At the age of 21, Quintero took first place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions held at Orchestra Hall in Chicago Tuesday night.
Quintero was the youngest out of the nine performers and will be representing the Midwest region in the final competition in April at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
“Being the youngest is something I’m kind of used to,” Quintero said. “When I talk to the judges afterwards, they always mention it as one of their comments. They remind me that I’m still young and to be careful. It’s really a one shot deal if you blow your voice, it’s over.”
At the competition the judges asked her to finish her performance with “O mio Fernando” from “La favorita” by Gaetano Donizetti.
“There was a rumble from the crowd when the judges announced their selection, because everyone knows that it’s a very difficult piece,” said Music sophomore David Logan, who attended Quintero’s performance.
Nevertheless, Quintero pulled off an extraordinary performance that stunned the crowd and amazed the judges, Logan said.
Although the audience was aware of the power of Quintero’s voice, Quintero herself had no idea how her performance compared to the other singers.
“She couldn’t hear anyone else sing, so she had no idea how good she was,” Logan said. “She was definitely on edge after they announced the (second and third place) winners. When they announced her name, it didn’t sink in at first. Then she got real teary eyed and very emotional.”
Quintero said everything she has done pointed her in the direction of singing.
Growing up, Quintero performed in musical theater, sang in children’s choir and played instruments, from violin and cello to flute and oboe. Quintero said her activities made her a better vocal performer.
“A lot of times, singers get a really bad rap, because they are on the dumber end of the music world,” she said. “They learn things by ear instead of actually reading. Being an instrumentalist has made me a better musician, and musical theater gave me the chance to hone my performance skills.”
Discovering her love for opera in high school, Quintero chose to attend Northwestern rather than a conservatory to break free from the typical musician mold of strictly studying music.
“I really was interested in getting a well-rounded education in order to become a well-rounded performer,” Quintero said.
Quintero’s biggest inspiration comes from Mignon Dunn, a visiting professor from the Manhattan School of Music. Quintero has trained under Dunn since her freshman year and has learned from Dunn the importance of not letting success go to her head.
Friends describe Quintero as very laid-back and modest, despite the publicity surrounding her. Music senior Jeffrey Quinto said Quintero is anything but typical in the musical profession.
“She can laugh at herself and she never gets freaked out,” Quinto said. “At the same time that she’s serious about what she does, it’s not her whole life. She loves hanging out and being with her friends.”
At this point, Quintero says she is uncertain about the level she wants to take her singing. She has been looking into graduate schools, especially the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, where Dunn teaches.
But most important now for Quintero is finishing her year at NU. She will be singing with the NU Symphony Orchestra in March and preparing for her senior recital in addition to performing in multiple competitions.
Quintero also is looking forward to her April trip to New York. There, she will compete against 18 other semifinalists from different regions for a chance to sing on the Metropolitan stage with a full orchestra as part of the 10 finalists. From there, five winners will be chosen and awarded $15,000 each.
Quinto says Quintero doesn’t give enough credit to herself, but her friends have little doubt about her ability to impress the judges.
“I don’t know how she’s going to place, and I can’t say that she’ll win,” Logan said. “But she’s going to give a phenomenal performance.”