Finalists Announced at The Met's Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition

Ten singers will compete for the $20,000 grand prizes

Ten singers have been selected to proceed to the final round of the Metropolitan Opera's Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition for 2024. The Grand Final will take place on March 17 at 3PM ET. This event is open to the public, and tickets are available for purchase at the Met's box office.

Each finalist will perform two arias accompanied by the Met Orchestra and conducted by Evan Rogister. The winners will receive individual cash prizes of $20,000, while the remaining finalists will each receive $10,000.

The selected singers are:

• Nathan Bowles, 27, tenor (Gulf Coast Region; Minot, ND)
• Ruby Dibble, 28, mezzo-soprano (Midwest Region; Kansas City, MO)
• Daniel Espinal, 24, tenor (New England Region; Sarasota, FL)
• Lydia Grindatto, 28, soprano (Midwest Region; Tijeras, NM)
• Navasard Hakobyan, 25, baritone (Eastern Region; Yerevan, Armenia)
• Tessa McQueen, 26, soprano (Rocky Mountain Region; Loveland, CO)
• Meridian Prall, 28, mezzo-soprano (Central Region; Fort Wayne, IN)
• Emily Richter, 26, soprano (Great Lakes Region; Arlington, VA)
• Demetrious Sampson, Jr., 24, tenor (Southeast Region; Atlanta, GA)
• Eric Taylor, 29, tenor (Gulf Coast Region; St. George, UT)

Open to singers from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as other international entrants training or residing in those countries, the Laffont Competition had more than 1,500 applicants this year.

Singers who have previously had success in this competition include Renée Fleming, Denyce Graves, Eric Owens, Stephanie Blythe, Hei-Kyung Hong, Sondra Radvanovsky, Lawrence Brownlee, Michael Fabiano, Latonia Moore, Lisette Oropesa, Jamie Barton, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Ryan Speedo Green, and Nadine Sierra.