North Dakota- Manitoba District Met Opera National Council Auditions

The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition North Dakota-Manitoba District is competition/concert for young aspiring opera singers held on the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks, ND.

We’re still aglow with the warmth and excitement these performers brought to chilly Grand Forks earlier this month! Cong...
01/29/2025

We’re still aglow with the warmth and excitement these performers brought to chilly Grand Forks earlier this month! Congratulations again to ND-MB district winners Tessa Hartl, Sophia Heinz, and Lily Smith. We are grateful to for supporting our winners’ awards. All three will compete in the Upper Midwest Region auditions in Minneapolis on February 9. Toi toi toi singers; we’re rooting for you!

We had a wonderful 60th anniversary weekend! More details will follow, but from a masterclass with William Burden for co...
01/20/2025

We had a wonderful 60th anniversary weekend! More details will follow, but from a masterclass with William Burden for collegiate singers, to surviving travel in a blizzard and extreme cold, to a day of fantastic auditions by promising singers, Grand Forks reveled in our special style of operatic fun. Thank you to our adjudicators Mr. Burden, Nathalie Doucet, and Ryan Taylor for their expertise and generous mentorship of the auditionees. We are very grateful to , , , , and for sponsoring this weekend. Thank you to the ND-MB district board for their work in preparing and presenting the auditions. Thanks also to pianists Dr. Ling Lo (Friday masterclass) and Dr. Tyler Wottrich (Saturday Laffont auditions) who so marvelously supported all the singers. And of course, deepest thanks to our audience for six decades of support! To all the singers, we loved meeting and hearing you, and we wish you success and joy in your future singing endeavors. Bravi tutti!

Singing opera all day is hungry work, and we are so thankful to longtime board member Dr. Kari Torkelson of  for providi...
01/13/2025

Singing opera all day is hungry work, and we are so thankful to longtime board member Dr. Kari Torkelson of for providing hospitality for our auditions. Food and beverages from keep everyone well fed and full of singing energy. Thank you!

We once again welcome and thank pianist Dr. Tyler Wottrich, who has distinguished himself as a chamber musician, vocal p...
01/12/2025

We once again welcome and thank pianist Dr. Tyler Wottrich, who has distinguished himself as a chamber musician, vocal pianist, solo performer, and teacher. Dr. Wottrich is an Associate Professor at North Dakota State University’s Challey School of Music, where he created a graduate collaborative piano program and serves as artistic director of the NDSU Chamber Music Festival. He has collaborated with an astonishing array of artists, ensembles, and companies, and remains a committed performer of new music. You’ll be delighted by the orchestral sounds he is able to create on the Bösendorfer grand in support of the young artists auditioning on January 18.

Last year Popplers Music in Grand Forks hosted our masterclass, and we are grateful to be back in their beautiful perfor...
01/11/2025

Last year Popplers Music in Grand Forks hosted our masterclass, and we are grateful to be back in their beautiful performing space again this year. Come and hear area high school and college singers be coached and inspired by tenor William Burden, one of our adjudicators for this year’s auditions. Mr. Burden has sung everything everywhere and is a teacher as well as a performer, so these young artists and our audience are in for a treat. Thank to for welcoming us and remaining a pillar supporting music in our region!

Final judge intro: welcome to Ryan Taylor, who serves as President and General Director of Minnesota Opera, where he is ...
01/10/2025

Final judge intro: welcome to Ryan Taylor, who serves as President and General Director of Minnesota Opera, where he is also a graduate of its Resident Artist Program. Ryan previously worked with Arizona Opera as General Director, ADA Artist Management as Artist Manager, and Wolf Trap Opera as Manager of Community Development. He also held posts as General Director of Berkshire Opera Company, Artistic Director of Singers Beyond Borders, and Co-founder of the Southeastern Festival of Song. Ryan enjoyed a 10-year career as a baritone, singing in the United States, Germany, Canada, and across Asia. He also worked as a stage director and producer before moving into arts administration.

For many years, the University of North Dakota has hosted our district, and this celebratory 60th anniversary is no diff...
01/09/2025

For many years, the University of North Dakota has hosted our district, and this celebratory 60th anniversary is no different. Thank you to for letting us use your wonderful facilities, which are infused with extraordinary artistry, music education, and glorious singing!

Our second adjudicator this year is Nathalie Doucet, Head of Music and Director of the Resident Artist Program at Detroi...
01/09/2025

Our second adjudicator this year is Nathalie Doucet, Head of Music and Director of the Resident Artist Program at Detroit Opera has built an extraordinary international career as a highly sought-after collaborative pianist and vocal coach. She has worked with leading opera companies, distinguished singers, and renowned conductors worldwide, including Washington National Opera, Bard SummerScape Festival, the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, Dutch National Opera, NTR ZaterdagMatinee, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, l’Opéra de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, and the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

Did you know the North Dakota-Manitoba District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition has been hosted in Grand F...
01/07/2025

Did you know the North Dakota-Manitoba District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition has been hosted in Grand Forks for sixty years?! Grand Forks has a proud tradition of support for singing, opera, and the arts broadly. Pictured above is the old Grand forks “Met” Metropolitan Opera House, now home to lofts, local businesses, and a wealth of musical tradition. Join us on January 17 & 18 to celebrate our 60th and continue Grand Forks’ love of opera! Schedule and details at the link in our bio.

We’re thrilled to introduce this year’s adjudicators! First up, American tenor William Burden has won an outstanding rep...
01/06/2025

We’re thrilled to introduce this year’s adjudicators! First up, American tenor William Burden has won an outstanding reputation in a wide-ranging repertoire throughout Europe and North America. He continues to perform in all the major opera houses and venues in the U.S. and abroad, and holds teaching positions at the Mannes School and Juilliard. We are honored that Mr. Burden will share a masterclass with high school and collegiate singers from around the area on Friday, January 17, 7pm at Popplers Music in Grand Forks.

Happy New Year to you and happy 60th anniversary to us! We are excited about the ND-MB district auditions coming up in t...
01/02/2025

Happy New Year to you and happy 60th anniversary to us! We are excited about the ND-MB district auditions coming up in two weeks—Saturday, January 18. We have a full slate of talented young singers, three illustrious judges, and some special programming we’ll share more about in the coming days. For now, mark your calendars and keep an eye here and our website for updates. Link in bio

Address

Hughes Fine Arts Center, 3350 Campus Road, Stop 7125
Grand Forks, ND
58202

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ND-MB Met Opera - Oct. 26th!

For eligibility, requirements and to apply and pay entry fee: Visit https://www.metopera.org/about/auditions/national-council-auditions/

Application Deadline: Two or three weeks prior to Auditions.

Early application is encouraged. Applications are not complete until payment is received. Singers may bring their own accompanist or a staff accompanist will be available.