8:40am Friday 4th July 2008
A South Cheshire College student has been striking all the rights chords after getting through to the final auditions of The X Factor.
Tibetan opera singer, Tashi Dorje has been calling the tune in three auditions so far and is close to appearing on the televised ITV show later this year, which is watched by millions of viewers across the nation.
During the show wannabe pop stars battle it out to win the show and secure a lucrative record deal.
Tashi, who lives in Holmes Chapel, has been singing for years and is a tenor opera singer.
He has taken part in various high profile music festivals across Europe.
During his auditions so far, Tashi has chosen the Italian opera song ‘O Sole Mio’ to impress the judges.
However, he is hoping he can add to his repertoire of songs by improving his English when he completes his language course at the Crewe college.
He will face his biggest challenge yet when he performs in front of harsh X Factor judge Simon Cowell, who has yet to see him sing, in July.
Tashi, 42, who is originally from Tibet, said: “I’ve always been a tenor singer and have a strong voice.
“I can sing some English opera songs but my pronunciation isn’t great. I’ve stuck to the Italian song that I know well for the auditions so far but I’m hoping that, as my English improves, I will be able to sing many more songs.”
Tashi went head-to-head more than 7,000 hopefuls in the first audition earlier this year at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium.