| Parent2noles,
I am a pianist and violinist, not a trained singer. However, I have done a lot of listening to some very fine opera singers and sat in on many voice lessons and studio sessions with my D. IMHO Paul Potts is quite raw. He does not seem to have good control of his instrument, particularly in his lower register. He would not compare well to singers coming out of top undergraduate music schools in this country. He certainly could not compete against pros. I can think of quite a few young classical singers in my region who have much greater authority and skill.
As I stated above, I am not an expert in classical voice, however, the following anecdote may persuade you that I do know something about what am hearing. When my D was in H.S., I accompanied for dance classes at CCM on Saturday mornings. My D was in dance and acting classes all day on Saturdays. One spring afternoon during her senior year, I decided to sit in on the Metropolitan Opera's Regional Young Artist Competition, instead of leaving CCM to run errands while waiting for her to finish her classes. I believe around 20 young singers competed. Many local opera afficionados were in attendance. After all of the singers performed, there was an intermission while the judges deliberated. First, second, and third prizes were to be awarded. I had my picks for first and third places, but could not decide between two singers for second place. I heard many people around me discussing the singers and expressing their opinions of who had given the strongest performances. No one I heard agreed with me. Lo and behold, when the decisions were announced, I had nailed it. Not only did I get 1st and 3rd places correct, I also got 2nd place correct. The judges announced that the 2 singers I could not decide between had tied for 2nd place! I felt very pleased to learn that my listening skills were still functioning well and that I had learned something about good singing from my D's teachers.
I suspect that the Paul Potts phenomena is due to a lot of hype by Simon Cowell and company and a musically naive listening audience. (There's probably a better word than naive, but my brain is not thinking of it this late at night.) I have heard "Nessun Dorma" performed exquisitly. Mr. Potts' rendition did not cut it for me. | 
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