Central Region

The Met’s Laffont Competition—previously known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions—is designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers and is sponsored by hundreds of donors and volunteers from across North and South America. Some of today’s greatest singers got their starts in the competition, including Jamie Barton, Stephanie Blythe, Lawrence Brownlee, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Emily D’Angelo, Michael Fabiano, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Ryan Speedo Green, Lisette Oropesa, Eric Owens, and Nadine Sierra.

The Central Region is based in Chicago, IL and comprises the Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky Districts. The Central Region Council along with its three district councils are community-based groups of volunteers interested in promoting young operatic artists within the region. 100% of funds raised by our volunteers and partnering community organizations directly benefit singers engaged in The Laffont Competition.

Winners of the Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky District competitions advance to the Central Region Finals, from which at least one region winner is chosen. A single winner from the Central Region is typically awarded $5,000, however prizes vary year to year. Other monetary prizes such as second and third place and encouragement awards are often given at the judges' discretion.

Winner(s) of the Central Region Finals advance 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.