San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - A singing competition in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico helps homegrown talent graduate to the world stage.

Every spring, dozens of young and undiscovered opera singers descend on the pretty colonial Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende to sing their lungs out for the chance to be among the ten finalists in the Concurso, an event dubbed "American Idol for Mexican opera singers."

The competition is the flagship event of Opera San Miguel, a festival held within the Teatro Angela Peralta, a neoclassical jewel box named in honor of the 19th-century soprano known as "The Mexican Nightingale."

John Bills, Artistic Director (R), and First Prize Winner, César Delgado

Similar to the rules of the American reality show, only one singer will claim first place, but all ten finalists are winners. The organization's mission is to nurture talent, so each finalist receives a prize—from grants (up to 200,000 pesos, or about $14,000) to worldwide performance opportunities. The money is to be used only for furthering the careers of the singers, many of whom come from humble backgrounds.

As an added bonus, the event also provides world-class entertainment for the community, about a fifth of which is expat Americans and Canadians. "A lot of people would not put opera and a competitive sport in the same thought," says Paul Merriman, one such expat who splits his time between this cobblestoned mountain town and Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Though not an opera buff, Merriman considers the event to be "one of the most thrilling experiences of my life." The excitement of the Grand Finale is compounded by a series of celebratory dinners, where locals get to hobnob with the contestants. "All competitions are more fun when you know something about the competitors," he adds.

Before the finale, contestants spend a week being "groomed," which often involves private career, language, and drama coaching. Beyond this, they attend a master class; this year's teachers were celebrated Mexican tenor Javier Camarena, who gave a bravura performance at the Metropolitan Opera last year, and renowned U.S. soprano Maureen O'Flynn.

The event is spearheaded by an exuberant American couple: John Bills, a retired tenor who sang in thousands of performances at the Met alongside colleagues such as Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, and his wife, Shari Alexander, a former chef/restaurateur in the Hamptons on Long Island.

Since 2008 the Concurso has been an annual event, with one break, making this year the competition's seventh. Bills began as a judge and was invited to take over as artistic director in 2010; Alexander is the event planner and in charge of raising money. As a result of her fundraising chutzpah, the Concurso is the only fully, privately funded event of its type in Mexico. The town's Rosewood and La Puertocito hotels are two key sponsors.

Bills and Alexander's track record with the event is impressive. One of the Concurso's winning singers went on to debut at the Met opposite Anna Netrebko; another was one of two chosen for a master class with Domingo; and yet another won first place in a prestigious Montreal competition, facing singers hailing from France, Germany, and Italy.

Having grown from a small regional contest to one of the most important talent showcases in Mexico, the Concurso is now giving voice to formerly unheard artists. "This is a culture of music that goes back to the Aztecs and Mayans," says San Miguel resident Judy Hadlock. "And the world is now getting a chance to hear it."