Winners and History

Following the creation of the Met's National Council in the 1952-53 season, the first Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions took place in 1954 in the Twin Cities. For over 70 years, the newly renamed Laffont Competition has helped launch the careers of countless young singers, including some of opera's greatest stars. Every season, over 100 former participants appear on the Met roster.

Notable award winners through the decades:

1950s 

Martina Arroyo (Auditions of the Air)
Grace Bumbry
Louis Quilico
Teresa Stratas   

1960s 

Justino Díaz
Loretta Di Franco
Robert Hale 
Jessye Norman 
Gail Robinson 
George Shirley 
Frederica von Stade 
Benita Valente
Shirley Verrett  

1970s 

June Anderson 
Kathleen Battle 
Vinson Cole 
Ashley Putnam 
Samuel Ramey 
Cheryl Studer 
Carol Vaness 
Delores Ziegler   

1980s

Christine Brewer 
Renée Fleming 
Susan Graham 
Denyce Graves 
Thomas Hampson 
Ben Heppner 
Hei Kyung Hong 
Sylvia McNair 
Patricia Racette 
Deborah Voigt   

1990s 

Brian Asawa 
Isabel Bayrakdarian 
Stephanie Blythe 
Eric Cutler 
Michelle DeYoung 
Elizabeth Futral 
Jill Grove 
Paul Groves 
Nathan Gunn 
Eric Owens 
Sondra Radvanovsky   

2000s 

Paul Appleby
Jamie Barton
Lawrence Brownlee 
Anthony Roth Costanzo
Michael Fabiano
Angela Meade
Lisette Oropesa
Marjorie Owens 
Susanna Phillips
Nadine Sierra
Christian Van Horn 
Amber Wagner