Supporting opera stars of the future
New England Region winner Daniel Espinal takes Grand Finals prize at the Met
Sunday, March 17, 2024 on the Met stage
The Laffont Grand Finals Winners : Daniel Espinal, tenor; Meredith Prall, mezzo-soprano; Emily Richter, soprano; Lydia Grindatto, soprano; Navasard Hakobyan, baritone
Announcing the 2024 New England Region Winners
Winners and judges, left to right: Laureano Quant, Alexis Peart, Melissa Wegner (judge), Gemma Nha, Denyce Graves (judge), Daniel Espinal, Christopher Cano (judge), Ruoxi Peng, and Jennifer Robinson
On Sunday afternoon, Jan. 28, at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, the judging panel gave two first-place, one third-place, and three encouragement awards.
We are thrilled to announce the winners, chosen by judges Melissa Wegner, Denyce Graves and Christopher Cano:
Two first place awards ($6,000): Daniel Espinal, tenor; Gemma Nha, soprano. Both will be going to New York to compete in the National Semifinals of the Laffont Competition on March 11.
Third place award ($4,000): Laureano Quant, baritone.
Encouragement awards ($3,000): Alexis Peart, mezzo-soprano; Ruoxi Peng, soprano; Jennifer Robinson, soprano.
The Philip R. Nichols encouragement awards are funded by a generous endowment from the estate of Irene Nichols.
All other finalists received a $1,000 stipend courtesy of the patrons of New England.