2026-27 Utah District Judges
The competitors sing for three judges who have been selected from an elite list of opera professionals (vocal coaches, career singers, opera composers, opera stage directors, heads of opera companies and artistic administrators) who are highly qualified to identify talent and to assist young singers with developing and refining their singing.
Dan Novak
Vice President and Director,
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center
Deborah Birnbaum
Voice Faculty, Lindemann Young Artist Program
Christopher Hahn
General Director Emeritus, Pittsburgh Opera
Deborah Birnbaum is an internationally-renowned voice teacher and breath support specialist. She helps singers learn the mechanics of bel canto breath support technique while working within the context of their existing vocal technique. Her expertise in breath technique originates from her own private vocal studies with renowned soprano Montserrat Caballé. Ms. Birnbaum is on the faculty of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the San Francisco Opera’s Merola/Adler Fellowship Programs. She is regularly invited to teach and give master classes att Lyric Opera of Chicago Ryan Center, The Santa Fe Opera, The Denyce Graves Foundation, the Curtis Institute of Music, Rice University, Indiana University, and Wolf Trap Opera among others. She is one of the featured coaches in the Metropolitan Opera’s HD movie, ‘The Audition’, broadcast worldwide. This season, Ms. Birnbaum returns to Carnegie Hall at the invitation of Joyce DiDonato as guest clinician for the Joyce DiDonato Master Class Series. Ms. Birnbaum maintains a private teaching studio in New York City.
Christopher Hahn is the General Director Emeritus of Pittsburgh Opera. He served as General Director from 2008 to 2026 and Artistic Director from 2000 to 2008. During his tenure, he significantly enriched the company’s repertoire, introducing Baroque and contemporary operas presented in a variety of production styles. Trained in his native South Africa, Mr. Hahn began his career in opera in 1983 at San Francisco Opera as Rehearsal Administrator. He then managed the San Francisco Opera Center, including the world-renowned Merola Opera Program, the country’s leading training program for American singers. Following his 13-year tenure in San Francisco, he served as Artistic Administrator at Los Angeles Opera with Plácido Domingo and Peter Hemmings. Mr. Hahn’s expertise in recognizing young vocal talent has made him a sought-after juror at American and international vocal competitions, including the Bernstein Competition (Jerusalem), Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition, the Francisco Viñas Competition (Barcelona), the McAllister Awards and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In recognition of his contributions to opera in America, he was inducted into the OPERA America Opera Hall of Fame with the class of 2025.
Dan Novak was named Director of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago in April of 2013; he served as Manager from 2000-2013. In 2006 his position with the program was elevated to senior management level when he assumed responsibility for all executive duties and began assisting with artistic decisions. Novak’s career at Lyric Opera of Chicago, of which the Center is an affiliate, began in 1989. The first decade of his tenure involved positions with the Development and Ticket Departments, most recently the Assistant Director of Development for Chapter Activities. An Illinois native, Novak is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned a degree in Music Education with distinction. He serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Shoshana Foundation as well as an adjudicator for voice competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
