After many months of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, five singers have been named as the winners of the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Each winner receives a $15,000 cash prize and the exposure that comes with winning the competition that launched the careers of many of opera’s biggest stars.
This year’s winners are Jessica Faselt, 25, soprano (Upper Midwest Region: Iowa City, IA); Madison Leonard, 26, soprano (Middle Atlantic Region: Coeur d’Alene, ID); Ashley Dixon, 26, mezzo-soprano (Northwest Region: Peachtree, GA); Hongni Wu, 23, mezzo-soprano (Eastern Region: Jingdezhen, China); and Carlos Enrique Santelli, 26, tenor (Western Region: Orlando, FL).