March 19, 2024
Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications
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Pittsburgh Opera is proud to share that Resident Artist Emily Richter is one of just five Grand Finals Winners of this year's Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. The finals were Sunday, March 17th in Manhattan.

Ms. Richter, a second year Resident Artist, received The Birgit Nilsson Award. The Award carries a $20,000 cash prize in addition to several career-based opportunities and exposure.

The competition, per the Metropolitan Opera, is “designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. Some of today’s greatest singers got their start in the auditions, including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Stephanie Blythe, Eric Owens, Lawrence Brownlee, Lisette Oropesa, Jamie Barton, Michael Fabiano, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Ryan Speedo Green, and Nadine Sierra.”

Ms. Richter advanced from the Pittsburgh District competition, to the Great Lakes Regionals, and to the national semi-finals before reaching the finals.

Ms. Richter becomes the fourth recent Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist to advance to at least the semi-finals. She joins Brian Vu (a Grand Finalist in 2016), Angel Romero (a Semi-Finalist in 2021), and Daniel O’Hearn (a Grand Finalist in 2022). Ms. Richter is the first to be named a National Grand Finals Winner.

Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist program is one of the country's leading training programs for young singers. Every year, exceptional singers from around the world are selected by audition from more than 500 applicants. After completing advanced education, Resident Artists advance their careers under the guidance of the opera world's leaders and innovators. While developing their vocal skills and expanding their repertoire, they study languages, diction, movement, and acting.

In addition to performing principal roles in two fully-staged productions, Resident Artists cover principal roles and perform comprimario roles in Pittsburgh Opera's mainstage productions each season. Ms. Richter has shone in key on-stage roles such as the title role in Iphigénie en Tauride, Ma Zegner in Proving Up, and Ginevra in Ariodante.

Ms. Richter’s Residency is generously sponsored by John and Virginia DiPucci and Alice Victoria Gelormino.