New England Region Met Opera Laffont Competition

New England Region Met Opera Laffont Competition We are the New England Region Met Opera Laffont Competition, holding yearly District and Regional auditions for aspiring young singers.

Winning singer(s) compete on stage at The Metropolitan Opera in March. Winners of the District auditions, held in Hartford and Boston, advance to the Regional Finals where they compete to win a trip to New York to participate in the National Semi-Finals, a competition held on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Approximately ten of the Semi-Finalists are selected as National Finalists and compete

the following Sunday in a public concert, the Grand Finals Concert, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The jury awards approximately five Grand Winner awards of $15,000 each. The concert is broadcast nationwide on the Metropolitan Opera Radio Network. The remaining National Finalists receive $5,000 each, and those singers who were National Semi-Finalists but did not advance to the National Finals will be given $1,500 to further their studies. Many of the world’s foremost singers, among them Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, Jessye Norman, Samuel Ramey, Frederica von Stade, Deborah Voigt and Dolora Zajick have received awards from the National Council. Annually, approximately 100 former auditioners appear in Metropolitan Opera productions.

Coast concert at Dartmouth with Wadada Leo smith & Illegal Crowns - Mary, Tomas & Taylor 🥰
03/01/2026

Coast concert at Dartmouth with Wadada Leo smith & Illegal Crowns - Mary, Tomas & Taylor 🥰

02/04/2026

Brava and love to MN Opera.

If you were a ticket holder to our Region competition that was cancelled 😢due to the snowstorm (only the singers, judges...
02/03/2026

If you were a ticket holder to our Region competition that was cancelled 😢due to the snowstorm (only the singers, judges, and crew were allowed in Jordan Hall), we would appreciate it if you would turn your purchase into a donation. The audience wasn’t there, but the competition with its costs went on. We awarded $20,400 in prizes, and had the costs of the venue to cover whether or not we had an audience. To turn your ticket into a donation respond to the email that was sent to all ticket purchasers. You will make us and our young singers happy!

Important words from one of our alums…
01/28/2026

Important words from one of our alums…

01/27/2026

BREAKING NEWS! ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE 2026 NEW ENGLAND REGION MET OPERA LAFFONT COMPETITION

Defying a winter storm and the ONLY closure to the public since the competition began in 1954, ten young aspiring opera singers braved the elements to compete at NEC's Jordan Hall yesterday afternoon. The judges were Brian Speck, Artistic Administrator for The Metropolitan Opera; Priti Gandhi, Senior Advisor, Arts Consulting Group; and Gary Thor Wedow, Conductor and Faculty Member of The Juilliard School.

After hearing the ten singers each perform two arias, the judges made the following awards:

FIRST PLACE - Two singers were chosen: Justice Yates, Bass-Baritone, of Leesburg Florida, and Shelén Hughes Camacho, Soprano, of Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Mr. Yates and Ms. Camacho will advance to the Semi-Finals at The Metropolitan Opera on March 15, representing the New England Region. They will each receive a $6000 award made possible by a $5200 grant from patrons of New England and an $800 Edgar Tobin Award from the Tobin Endowment.

Other winners are:

THIRD PRIZE - Jennifer Robinson, Soprano, of Lakeland, Florida. Ms. Robinson will receive a $4000 award sponsored by patrons of New England.

PHILIP R. NICHOLS ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD - Suowei Wu, Tenor, of Wenzhou, China. Mr. Wu will receive $3000 sponsored by a bequest of Irene Nichols.

PAULINE HO BYNUM ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD - Zuhao Chen, Baritone, of Shanghai, China. Mr. Chen will receive $3000 made possible by donations to the Legacy CIrcle of the New England Region for singer awards.

Our stalwart (fancy way of saying loyal, reliable, hardworking) judges weathered the storm in Boston so our magnificent ...
01/26/2026

Our stalwart (fancy way of saying loyal, reliable, hardworking) judges weathered the storm in Boston so our magnificent finalists could sing for them! A huge thank you to New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall for making it possible for the competition to go on. It does take a village. We are grateful for everyone who works to help these young singers advance their careers. The winners will be posted soon!

01/25/2026

Address

METOPERA New England Region C/o P.O. Box 786
Brookline, MA
02446

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