Four Winners Named in 2021-21 Utah District
Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition
Tatiana Carlos, Jonah Hoskins, Mary Hoskins, Savannah Porter and Esteban Senzig were named winners of the 2019-20 Utah District Auditions of the Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) held in Salt Lake City on November 9, 2019. Each of the five Utah District winners received a cash prize of $1,000 and will compete with the winners of the Colorado-Wyoming, and Arizona districts at the Rocky Mountain Region auditions. The judges also awarded four encouragement awards of $250 each to Michelle Dean, Josie Larsen, Courtney Lawson, and Abigail Miles. The audience choice award went to Esteban Senzig.
2019 Winners and Encouragement award winners (left to right)
Esteban Senzig, Michelle Dean, Josie Larsen, Courtney Lawson, Abigail Miles, Tatiana Carlos, Savannah Porter, Jonah Hoskins, Mary Hoskins
The winner(s) of the Utah District will compete in the Rocky Mountain Region Auditions on January 26, 2020. Approximately 20-25 first place winners from the regions throughout North America receive a cash prize and will be sponsored to go to New York in February for the National Council Auditions Semi-Finals on the Met stage. Up to 11 singers will then compete at the National Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, March 1, 2020 on the Met stage, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by Carlo Rizzi. Approximately four to six singers will be named National Council Auditions Winners, each receiving a $15,000 prize and invaluable career-making exposure. Many of the world’s foremost singers have received awards from the National Council and over one hundred alumni of the National Council Auditions sing in Met performances during a typical opera season.
Tatiana Carlos, a 28 year-old soprano and native of Petrópolis, Brazil, is currently a student at Brigham Young University where she is working toward a Master of Music in vocal performance. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She was first place winner in the 2016 Série Tom de Classe Chamber Music Competition, won the Ópera Manaus Award in the 2015 Maria Callas International Vocal Competition, and was a semifinalist in the 2018 Guilio Gari Paris Opera competitions.
Jonah Hoskins, a 22 year-old tenor and native of Saratoga Springs, Utah, is currently a student at Brigham Young University where he is working toward a Bachelor of Arts in music. He has participated in Young Artist programs with Des Moines Metro Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, and HGO Young Artist Vocal Academy. In 2018-19 he was a winner in the Utah District MONC Auditions, National Opera Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and BYU Young Artist competitions and Extraordinary Artistic Promise in the Lotte Lenya competition.
Mary Hoskins, a 27 year-old soprano and native of Saratoga Springs, Utah, earned a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance from Brigham Young University in 2018 and is working toward a Master of Musica at that same institution. Last year, she advanced to the National Semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is a three-time Utah District MONC Winner (2016, 2018, and 2019) and Encouragement award winner (2017). She has also been first place winner of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Utah District Competition, was the 2017 BYU Singer of the Year, and received the Deborah Voigt Award at the 2016 Utah Vocal Arts Academy.
Savannah Porter, a 21 year-old soprano from Fort Worth, Texas, is is currently a student at Brigham Young University where she is working toward a bachelor's degree. She received the Lila Stuart - Bachelder Award in the 2019 BYU Young Artist Competition.
Esteban Senzig, a 26 year-old tenor and native of Provo, Utah, is currently a student at Utah Valley University where he is a vocal performance major. He has been a participant in the Utah Vocal Arts Academy and a guest artist with the St. George Opera Company.
Michelle Dean, a 25 year-old soprano and native of Willard, Utah is a student at Brigham Young University. Courtney Lawson, a 20 year old soprano from Aubrey, Texas is a student at Brigham Young University. Abigail Miles, a 22 year-old soprano from Auburn, Washington is a student at Brigham Young University. Josie Larsen, a 21 year-old soprano from Sammamish, Washington is a student at Brigham Young University.
The MONC Auditions is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist the development of their careers. The auditions are held annually in 12 Regions of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The Utah District is one of 40 districts within these regions, and provides an opportunity for talented local singers to enter the auditions. Hundreds of volunteers across North America help the Met organize and fund the National Council Auditions in their respective Districts and Regions. They also help the Met raise nearly $500,000 in prize money that the National Council Auditions awards annually at the District, Regional and national levels of the competition.
Jonah Hoskins
Mary Hoskins
Tatiana Carlos
Savannah Porter
Esteban Senzig
The MONC Utah District Auditions are supported in part by the residents of Salt Lake County through the Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) Program, the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Arts, Culture, and Events (ACE) Fund administered by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and the University of Utah School of Music.
Nov. 9, 2019
Utah District Winners
Utah District Winner
Jonah Hoskins one of five Winners at March 2020 National Finals
