Minnesota District

Seventy-three seasons ago, the Metropolitan Opera National Council was formed and held its very first auditions anywhere, here, in Minneapolis! Those 1954 auditions became the template for auditions now annually held in 32 districts and 10 regions throughout the Americas. Annually, more than 1,750 gifted singers apply to perform in district auditions where they have the chance to perform in front of internationally renowned operatic singers, conductors, and directors who volunteer their time as judges, even meeting privately with each applicant, giving crucial post-audition feedback. The entire regional auditions result in 20 singers chosen as semi-finalists. Ten ultimately perform as grand finalists in large, lavish public performances/auditions on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, and finally, each spring, 5 are chosen as winners. 

These are pivotal moments for young artists, but these opportunities do not happen without your support. Your past generosity has helped sustain 72 seasons of artistic excellence. As we enter our 73rd season, we ask you to make an enlarged or new commitment to these young artists, already deeply committed to their own talents’ development despite living in a time that increasingly takes away support for the arts and artists, rather than providing for them. The Laffont Competitions are powered by generosity. Your most generous gift can help us reward exceptional young singers, afford to bring Metropolitan Opera judges to Minnesota, provide a world-class performance venue, and continue this vital tradition begun here 73 seasons ago. 

Please Attend:

MINNESOTA DISTRICT COMPETITION 

Saturday, October 31, 2026 10:00 AM - approximately 4 PM

UPPER MIDWEST REGION COMPETITION

Saturday, February 6, 2027 10:00 AM - approximately 1:00 PM

We know we do not need to tell you how increased the costs of flying, housing, and feeding judges are, or how much a world-class performance hall costs to rent, but we know you believe in the mission of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competitions: to allow extraordinary young singers to be heard, recognized, supported, and launched toward professional careers. And we know you know that this fall, more than ever, we need your help to keep that tradition alive in Minnesota and throughout the Upper Midwest. Please, then, give as generously as you can. Your support does more than fund two days of operatic singing - it helps open the door to a future, of the culture that elevates our lives and for the artists we hope will create it all, that might otherwise never be possible. 

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.