Tulsa Opera partners in presenting the 71st annual Metropolitan Opera National Laffont Competition for the Tulsa District on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027.
Tulsa was the second district to join the nationwide competition and has hosted district auditions continuously since 1955. Oklahoma singers who have reached National Finalist status include sopranos Sarah Coburn, Jana McIntyre, and Abigail Raiford, as well as baritone Mark McCrory.
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 2026-27 Laffont Competition for the Tulsa District is being organized by Tulsa Opera staff and volunteers. Local competition contacts are:
Tulsa Opera General Director and CEO Lori Decter Wright
Tulsa Opera Artistic Administrator Sam Briggs
Tulsa Opera Immediate Past President and Laffont Competition Tulsa District Chair Len Pataki
The competition takes place on Saturday, January 9, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cascia Hall Performing Arts Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Artists will travel to Tulsa from across the United States, as well as from Mexico, Canada, and other countries, to compete.The competition is free and open to the public. Audience members may enter and exit only during breaks between singers. Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the Performing Arts Center.
The 2026-27 Laffont Competition for the Tulsa District is being organized by Tulsa Opera staff and volunteers. Local competition contacts are:
Tulsa Opera General Director and CEO Lori Decter Wright
Tulsa Opera Artistic Administrator Sam Briggs
Tulsa Opera Immediate Past President and Laffont Competition Tulsa District Chair Len Pataki
