At March 17th's Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Grand Finals Concert, hosted by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, 10 finalists performed with the Met Orchestra, conducted by Evan Rogister. Each singer performed two arias, and from the finalists, five winners were selected, who each receive a $20,000 prize.
The five winners are Daniel Espinal, tenor from Sarasota, Florida; Lydia Grindatto, soprano from Tijeras, New Mexico; Navasard Hakobyan, baritone from Yerevan, Armenia; Meridian Prall, mezzo-soprano from Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Emily Richter, soprano from Arlington, Virginia.
The five other finalists, each receiving a $10,000 prize, are Nathan Bowles, tenor from Minot, North Dakota; Ruby Dibble, mezzo-soprano from Kansas City, Missouri; Tessa McQueen, soprano from Loveland, Colorado; Demetrious Sampson, Jr., tenor from Atlanta, Georgia; and Eric Taylor, tenor from St. George, Utah.
The finalists and winners were selected over the course of a series of competitions from a pool of over 1,500 applicants, and more than 900 qualifying singers.
Formerly known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition is considered a prestigious award for early-career opera singers. Previous winners have included Renée Fleming, Denyce Graves, Erin Owens, Stephanie Blythe, and Nadine Sierra, the latter of whom is currently appearing at the Met in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.
