HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ANNOUNCES 2025 CONCERT OF ARIAS WINNERS
EMERGING ARTISTS AWARDED TOP HONORS AT 37TH ANNUAL ELEANOR MCCOLLUM COMPETITION FOR YOUNG SINGERS
HOUSTON—January 17, 2025—Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is proud to announce the winners for this year’s Concert of Arias, the 37th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers, held this evening at the Wortham Theater Center and livestreamed for worldwide audiences.
HGO.org
The 2025 Concert of Arias winners include:
• 1st Place prize of $25,000: Geonho Lee, baritone
• 2nd Place prize of $15,000: Luka Tsevelidze, tenor
• 3rd Place prize of $10,000: Lauren Carroll, soprano
• The Audience Choice Award of $5,000: Geonho Lee, baritone
• The Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award of $2,000: Daria Lupu, soprano
The 2025 competition carried an increased prize purse thanks to a group of generous company supporters. New this year, all non-placing finalists also received a prize of $3,500.
The winners of the competition were chosen by a panel of distinguished judges: guest judge Michael Heaston, the Deputy General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera and the former Music Director of the Butler Studio; Khori Dastoor, HGO General Director and CEO; and Patrick Summers, HGO Artistic and Music Director. Celebrated soprano and HGO favorite Ana María Martínez selected the winner of her Encouragement Award, which she created a decade ago to celebrate artists developing their craft. In-person and online audiences selected the winner of the Audience Choice Award.
At the event, each finalist sang two arias and, for the first time in company history, performed accompanied by the HGO Orchestra, conducted by Maestro James Gaffigan, the General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, Music Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, and Music Director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra in Switzerland.
HGO hosted the competition before a live audience at the Wortham Theater Center, with the event also streamed online via HGO’s Facebook and YouTube channels. The livestream was hosted by Ernie Manouse, a well-known Houston media personality and executive producer and host at Houston Public Media. Throughout the evening, Manouse kept online viewers engaged with the competition while providing exclusive behind-the-scenes updates.
Each year, HGO hosts the highly anticipated Eleanor McCollum Competition as part of its commitment to discovering and nurturing emerging opera talent. The competition serves as a key avenue for identifying potential candidates for the renowned Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio, the company’s prestigious training program for young artists. Singers from around the world travel to Houston to compete as semi-finalists, with the finalists performing in the live final round, the Concert of Arias.
“Tonight’s competition was a wonderful display of talent, excellence, and joy. These young singers gave their all tonight, and the result was thrilling,” says Dastoor. “The opportunity to experience our finalists perform their arias accompanied by our fabulous HGO Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Gaffigan, made the evening incredibly special. My heart is full—of beauty, inspiration, and gratitude for the next generation of artists, who hold the future of our art form in their hands.”
“Ahead of tonight’s concert, the HGO team traveled the globe searching for the most talented emerging artists in opera and spreading the word internationally about the incredible opportunities on offer here in Houston,” says Butler Studio Director Colin Michael Brush. “It was clear tonight that those efforts have paid handsome dividends. Each of these young singers gave a tremendous performance, and wonderfully, for some, tonight was just the start of their relationship with HGO.”
After reviewing 1,000 applicants, HGO selected 20 semifinalists before narrowing the field to seven exceptional finalists for the competition's final round. Throughout the process, the finalists had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of HGO and collaborate with the company’s music staff in preparation for the Concert of Arias.
The full list of finalists included sopranos Lauren Carroll, Daria Lupu, and Alexis Seminario; mezzo-soprano Meg Brilleslyper; tenors Luke Norvell and Luka Tsevelidze; and baritone Geonho Lee.
This year’s Concert of Arias was graciously chaired by Reinnette and Stan Marek. Through the generosity of many supporters, over $773,000 was raised to benefit the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers and the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio.
HGO was able to offer an increased prize purse for the 2025 Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers thanks the generosity of supporters Valerie and Miguel Miro-Quesada (first place); Stephanie D. Larsen (second place); Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer (third place); Jill A. Schaar and George Caflisch (Audience Choice); and Hon. Theresa and Dr. Peter Chang, Marty Dudley, Brian Faulkner and Jackie Macha, the Houston Grand Opera Guild, and Yin Yiu and Ron Domantay (non-placing finalists).
Founded in 1977, the Butler Studio has become one of the most respected young artist programs globally. Artists in the program benefit from a rich learning environment that prioritizes hands-on experience in the professional opera world. This includes regular coaching with industry experts, opportunities to perform in HGO mainstage productions, recital performances, and a range of other concert engagements. In 2023, longtime HGO supporters Sarah and Ernest Butler created a new fund within the HGO Endowment valued at $22 million, the largest gift in company history, and the Studio program was renamed to honor their commitment to the operatic art form.
2025 Concert of Arias Winner Biographies:
1st Place and Audience Choice Awards
Geonho Lee, baritone (South Korea)
Geonho Lee was a 2024 semifinalist in the renowned Operalia Competition. Lee is currently pursuing advanced studies at the University of Music and Theatre Munich, where he participates in frequent performances and productions. He is an active member of the August Everding Academy and holds a prestigious scholarship from the Bühnenverein. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Seoul National University, where he won several prestigious competitions.
2nd Place
Luka Tsevelidze, tenor (Georgia)
Luka Tsevelidze is a student at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. Tsevelidze made his operatic debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute with the Tbilisi State Conservatoire Opera Studio. In summer 2024, he performed in a concert in Kassel, Germany. He will soon take the stage as Alfredo in La traviata at the Tbilisi State Opera. He was introduced to classical music beginning at the age of 10, when he sang "O sole mio" with the Tbilisi Philharmonic Orchestra, sparking his passion for opera.
3rd Place
Lauren Carroll, soprano (United States)
This season, Lauren Carroll is a Young Artist with Palm Beach Opera, where she will make her company debut as Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro and cover the roles of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Violetta in La traviata. In summer 2025, she will return to the Aspen Music Festival as a Renée Fleming Artist and debut as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte. In summer 2024, she performed the role of Gretel in Hansel and Gretel at the Aspen Music Festival. Carroll was an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera in 2021 and 2022, where she covered the roles of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Frasquita in Carmen. She earned her Master of Music degree from Rice University and her Bachelor of Music degree from Drake University.
The Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award
Daria Lupu, soprano (Romania)
Daria Lupu is a member of the Experimental Studio in Musical Performing Arts “Ludovic Spiess” at the Bucharest National Opera. She has performed roles such as Mimì in La bohème, Marguerite in Faust, and La Bergère in L’enfant et les sortilèges at venues including the Bucharest National Opera, the Romanian Athenaeum, and Radio Hall. She was a finalist in the 2024 Sumi Jo International Singing Competition and represented Romania at the 2023 Voix Nouvelles Semifinal in Paris. She is currently pursuing her master's degree at the National University of Music in Bucharest.
To learn more about the evening, visit HGO.org/COA.
About Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is one of the largest, most innovative, and most highly acclaimed opera companies in the United States. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor assumed leadership of the organization and responsibility for its strategic vision in 2021. HGO was the only American finalist for Opera Company of the Year in the 2019 International Opera Awards, and the only American company to be nominated twice. In fulfilling its mission to advance the operatic art, to serve the Houston community, and to be a global leader in the future of opera, HGO has led the field in commissioning and producing new works (76 world premieres to date) and in training and nurturing promising young artists and administrators. The company contributes to the cultural enrichment of Houston and the nation through a diverse and innovative program of performances, community events, and education projects that reaches the widest possible public. HGO’s pioneering Community and Learning initiative has served as a model for other arts organizations. The company invites all Houstonians to experience superlative opera without the barrier of price through discounted single tickets and subscriptions, subsidized student performances, and free productions.
HGO has toured extensively and has won a Tony, two Grammy awards, and three Emmy awards. It is the only opera company to win all three honors.
For more information, please contact Krista Williams or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
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