Five Singers Named 2021 Winners of Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition

After a months-long series of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, a panel of expert judges named five singers as the winners of the 2021 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. Known since its founding in 1954 as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the competition name change was announced today in recognition of a generous gift from the Laffont family. Mrs. Laffont, an Advisory Director on the Met Board, has spent many hours volunteering with the auditions over the last 20 years, and she and her late husband, Eric, have long been among the program's most dedicated supporters.

Each winner receives a $20,000 cash prize and the prestige and exposure that come with winning the competition that launched the careers of many of opera's biggest stars. The 2021 winners, the regions they represent in the competition, and their hometowns are:

• Duke Kim, 29, tenor (Western Region: Seoul, South Korea)
• Hyoyoung Kim, 24, soprano (Southeast Region: Seoul, South Korea)
• Raven McMillon, 25, soprano (New England Region: Baltimore, MD)
• Emily Sierra, 23, mezzo-soprano (Eastern Region: Chicago, IL)
• Emily Treigle, 23, mezzo-soprano (Gulf Coast Region: New Orleans, LA)

Earlier this afternoon, 10 finalists performed in the Laffont Grand Finals Concert, hosted by bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, a 2011 competition winner. The singers performed virtually from locations around the world for an audience of judges, industry leaders, and the general public.

The remaining five finalists, who each receive a $10,000 cash prize, are:

• Jongwon Han, 26, bass-baritone (Rocky Mountain Region: Seoul, South Korea)
• Brittany Olivia Logan, 28, soprano (New England Region: Garden Grove, CA)
• Timothy Murray, 29, baritone (Western Region: Milwaukee, WI)
• Murrella Parton, 30, soprano (Southeast Region: Seymour, TN)
• Erica Petrocelli, 28, soprano (Central Region: East Greenwich, RI)

This season, nearly 1,200 applicants auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, with just over 600 singers qualifying for the 31 District Auditions. Of the 141 singers in the 10 Regional rounds, 23 were named semifinalists. To ensure safety and access for all involved, the auditions this season have taken place in a remote, live-streamed format from locations around the world. These auditions are sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera National Council, including members and hundreds of volunteers from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Now in their 67th season, the auditions are 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 auditions have been crucial in introducing many of today's best-known stars, including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Eric Owens, Stephanie Blythe, Hei-Kyung Hong, Sondra Radvanovsky, Lawrence Brownlee, Michael Fabiano, Latonia Moore, Lisette Oropesa, Jamie Barton, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Nadine Sierra, and Ryan Speedo Green.

The competition gained international fame with the release of the 2008 feature-length documentary The Audition, directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, which chronicled the 2007 National Council Auditions season and Grand Finals Concert.

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