Though it was a grey and listless day, tension ran high at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Conservatory Theatre, where 35 contestants arrived throughout the afternoon last Friday to battle for the title of Skule Idol and the chance to sing a duet with Isabel Bayrakdarian, opera star and U of T alumn. The competition was open to engineering students, staff, and alumni.

First up was Anne Bornath, who graduated from Engineering Science in 1991. Some 10 contestants milled the halls anxiously as Bornath prepared to wow the judges with her rendition of “Sull’aria…Che soave zeffiretto” from The Marriage of Figaro.

“If someone tells you that they’re not nervous before an audition, they’re lying,” Bornath laughed. “I’ve been auditioning for about 10 years now, but I was definitely still apprehensive!”

Despite a few butterflies, she came, she sang, and she conquered—taking the title and the duet in conjunction with Joseph Likuski, a 1982 Engineering Science graduate from Aurora. Likuski managed to win over the judges with his performance of “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini. That, and what judges described as “a lot of panache.”

The panel of local experts included accomplished pianist Serouj Kradjian, U of T music instructor Stuart Hamilton, and Martin Knelman, an entertainment columnist for the Toronto Star. But there were no biting British remarks or spacey, strung-out compliments that afternoon.

“The panel was friendly and professional,” Bornath said. “They were also fairly quiet.”

Bornath and Likuski will both perform with Isabel Bayrakdarian on December 17, as a part of the engineering department’s 75th anniversary celebration. Bayrakdarian graduated from U of T with a degree in biomedical engineering in 1997.

“Isabel dreamt up the idea of Skule Idol years ago,” said event coordinator Sarah Steed. “To her, there’s a huge correlation between math, science, and music, and she wanted to give another engineering student the opportunity to share her passion for music.”

Bayrakdarian has performed around the world, nabbing four Juno awards and several opera awards. She sings on the soundtrack of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the 2002 Atom Egoyan film Ararat.

“The chance to sing with Isabel Bayrakdarian is really exciting,” Bornath said. “I’ve been singing for my whole life. […] This is a really special opportunity.”