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 Laffont Competition is organized annually with the help of volunteers across the country. The competition consists of four rounds, beginning at a local level and culminating on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
Winners of the New York District continue on to the Eastern Region Finals.
Details on how to apply are available here:
https://www.metopera.org/about/auditions/competition/apply-to-audition2/
District auditions | November 18 and 19 at Merkin Hall
Region auditions | December 12 at Merkin Hall
National Semifinals | March 15, 2026 at the Met Opera
Grand Finals Concert | March 22, 2026 at the Met Opera
The Laffont Competition Eastern Region is a volunteer-based organization. As both a District and a Region, we are responsible for raising all the funds necessary to hold the District Auditions and the Region Finals. This includes rental of an audition space and pianist, as well as the prize money awarded to the winners. The Metropolitan Opera then organizes and funds the last two rounds of the competition.
We want to give our singers the best possible chances when competing, and this means holding the auditions at a concert hall like Merkin. We also like to provide our singers with great pianists and knowledgeable judges who can provide valuable feedback.
Laffont Competition Eastern Region is a 501(c)3, so all donations are tax-deductible up to the extent allowed by law.
The New York District/Eastern Region Team
- Tom Cannon Jr., Chair
- Jesse Cohen
- Lisa Litwin
- Lara Marcon
- Peter Agnone Ruane
- Stefanie Van Steelandt
- Andrew Toscano
