CCM alumna Teresa Perrotta wins Met Opera Laffont Competition

CCM proudly celebrates alumna Teresa Perrotta (MM Voice, ’19; AD Opera Performance, ’21), who is one of five singers to win the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. The Grand Finals concert featured 10 competition finalists on April 23, 2023 at the Met stage in New York. 

The five Grand Finals winners are: Anthony León, tenor; Natalie Lewis, mezzo-soprano; Teresa Perrotta, soprano; Sarah Saturnino, mezzo-soprano; Christian Simmons, bass-baritone; and Meredith Wohlgemuth, soprano.

Perrotta and student Chuanyuan Liu (AD Opera Performance, ’23) advanced through the district and regional levels of the prestigious competition to reach the semifinal round, previously held on April 17, 2023. 

The Laffont Competition (formerly the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions) began in 1954. Among its winners are some of the most celebrated voices in opera including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham and Eric Owens.

This year, nearly 1,000 young singers across 36 districts and 11 regions entered the competition for a chance to perform at one of the most high-profile events in the opera world. Of those singers, 20 advanced to the semi-final, 10 to the Grand Finals and five were ultimately named winners.

Perrotta, from the studio of CCM Voice Professor Gwendolyn Coleman, DMA, advanced from the Michigan District before winning the Great Lakes Region, Semi-finals and Grand Finals. Liu, also from Coleman's studio, was a winner in the New York District before going on to win the Eastern Region.

In addition to Perrotta and Liu, CCM students and alumni were recognized with awards at both the district and regional levels in this year’s competition. District and regional award winners include:

District Winners and Regional Awards:

• Gabrielle Turgeon (MM Voice, ’24) (Encouragement Award, Great Lakes Region; Winner, Michigan District)
• Justin Burgess (MM Voice,  ’20; AD Opera Performance, ’22) (Winner, Michigan District)
• Victor Cardamone (MM Voice, ’20; AD Opera Performance, ’22) (Winner, San Francisco District)
• Nicholas Kelliher (MM Voice, ’20) (Winner, Indiana District)
• Jordan Loyd (MM Voice, ‘20) (Winner, Illinois District)
• Michael Pandolfo (MM Voice, ’21) (Winner, Tulsa District)
• Felicity Tomkins (AD Opera Performance, ’23) (Winner, Kentucky District)

District Encouragement Award Winners:

• Megan Graves (MM Voice, ’21) (Minnesota District)
• Georgia Jacobsen (MM Voice, ’20; AD Opera Performance, ’22) (Arizona District)
• Rachel Kobernick (MM Voice,  ’22; AD Opera Performance, ’24) (Indiana Disctrict)
• Hayley Maloney (BM Voice, ’19; MM Voice, ’22) (South Carolina District)
• Emma Marhefka (MM Voice, ’23) (Kentucky District)
• Joseph O'Shea (MM Voice, ’23) (Tennessee District)
• Atticus Rego (MM Voice, ’23) (Kentucky District)
• Turner Staton (MM Voice, ’20) (Colorado-Wyoming District)
• Candace Williams (AD Opera Performance, ’24) (Kentucky District)
• Ryan Wolfe (MM Voice, ’20) (San Diego District)

Featured image at the top: The five Grand Finals winners — Anthony León, tenor; Natalie Lewis, mezzo-soprano; Teresa Perrotta, soprano; Sarah Saturnino, mezzo-soprano; Christian Simmons, bass-baritone; and Meredith Wohlgemuth, soprano. Photo by Natalie Powers/Met Opera.