Metropolitan Opera announces 20 semifinalists in 2023 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition

Semifinalists from the U.S., Cuba, Canada, China, South Korea, and Puerto Rico to perform on Monday, April 17

Selected finalists to compete at the public Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, April 23, accompanied by the Met Orchestra, with conductor Michele Gamba and hosted by soprano Latonia Moore

Winners will receive individual cash prizes of $20,000 and valuable exposure in the opera world

            New York, NY (March 21, 2023)—The 20 opera singers who have won regional auditions across the United States, Canada, and Mexico will compete in the semifinal round of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition on Monday, April 17, beginning at 10AM ET. The semifinal competition, held on the Met stage before a panel of judges and available for public viewing via livestream, will determine the finalists who will advance to the Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, April 23, at 3PM ET. The pianists for the semifinal round are Lachlan Glen and Bénédicte Jourdois, both alumni of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

            The semifinalists, ranging in age from 23 to 30, arrive at the Met on Saturday, April 15, to rehearse for the semifinals competition on April 17. The finalists who advance to the Grand Finals will have a week of training with Met musical and dramatic coaches. At the Grand Finals Concert on April 23, each finalist will sing two arias on the Met stage, with conductor Michele Gamba leading the Met Orchestra. The evening will also include a special performance from host and 2000 Grand Finals winner soprano Latonia Moore. Following the performance, the winners will be announced, each of whom will receive a cash prize of $20,000 and career-making exposure. Results will be posted on Facebook and Instagram.

            The Laffont Grand Finals Concert will be open to the public and broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM channel 355 and streamed live on the Met’s website. Tickets for the concert are on sale now and may be purchased at the Met box office, by phone at 212.362.6000, or online at metopera.org. 

            The Laffont Competition is open to singers from the United States, Canada. and Mexico, as well as other international entrants training or residing in those countries. This season, the competition had more than 1,200 applicants, with more than 800 singers qualifying to participate in 36 districts. The semifinalists were drawn from 137 singers in the regional rounds. These auditions are sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, including the Laffont Competition donors, and hundreds of volunteers from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. More than $300,000 in prize money has already been awarded in the district and regional rounds.

The 2023 Semifinalists

About the Competition

            The Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, formerly known since its founding in 1954 as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, is now in its 69th season. The Met’s vocal competition is a career-making opportunity for aspiring opera singers, given the reach of the auditions, the number of applicants, and the program’s long tradition. The Auditions have been crucial in introducing many of today’s best-known opera stars, including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Eric Owens, Stephanie Blythe, Hei-Kyung Hong, Sondra Radvanovsky, Lawrence Brownlee, Michael Fabiano, Latonia Moore, Lisette Oropesa, Jamie Barton, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Ryan Speedo Green, and Nadine Sierra.

            The competition gained international acclaim with the release of the 2008 feature-length documentary The Audition, directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, which chronicled the 2007 National Council Auditions season and Grand Finals Concert.