The Met’s nationwide vocal competition is a potentially career-making opportunity for aspiring opera singers, given the reach of the auditions, the number of applicants, and the program’s long tradition.

The Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, formerly known since its founding in 1954 as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, is now in its 68th season. The National awards in combination with the District and Region prizes amount to nearly a half million dollars. These auditions are sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, including the Laffont Competition donors and hundreds of volunteers from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Of the 126 singers in the region rounds, 21 were named semifinalists. This season, more than 1,100 applicants auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, with more than 800 singers qualifying for the 39 district auditions, including five in a virtual format and the rest held live.

Maggie Reneé, 23, mezzo-soprano (Eastern Region: New York, New York).Daniel O’Hearn, 26, tenor (Rocky Mountain Region: Chicago, Illinois).Jonas Jud, 25, bass (New England Region: Trogen, Switzerland).Rachel Blaustein, 30, soprano (Eastern Region: Olney, Maryland).

San francisco opera audition