Onstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — Operalia — the international singing competition, is well into the first day of the quarterfinal round. It's Aug. 25, 2014 and the judges are systematically making notations on their score sheets. Plácido Domingo (who founded the event in 1993) is acting as a gracious master of ceremonies, urging the singers to drink lots of water, while a small group of press and visitors look down from the balcony. In the offices of Los Angeles Opera it’s business as usual with the singing from the stage playing over the intercom.

Then something happens that provides one of the most electric moments of the competition. John Holiday, a 29-year-old African-American countertenor from Houston, Texas comes onstage. Dressed impeccably (with more than a hint of flash) and the solid build of a linebacker, Holiday begins to sing “Crude furie” from Handel’s Serse.