Congratulations to all the winners for triumphing in their highly competitive categories and to all the nominees for their extraordinary performances! Thank you to everyone that voted; I hope you enjoyed it!

Nadine Sierra and Benjamin Bernheim in *Roméo et Juliette* (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)

Best Opera

This year’s “unforgettable” revival of Bartlett Sher’s staging starred a “glorious” and “magical” Nadine Sierra as Juliette and “poet-singer” Benjamin Bernheim as a “dreamy” Roméo, with a strong supporting cast featuring Samantha Hankey, Will Liverman, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Eve Gigliotti.

Lise Davidsen in *La Forza del Destino* (Karen Almond/Met Opera)

Best Soprano

The soprano sensation’s star burns brighter and brighter every year. “Power and precision” marked her “astonishing” performance, with the Classical Review designating her as “the Leonora of a lifetime”.

SeokJong Baek in *Turandot* (Karen Almond/Met Opera)

Best Tenor

After making his Met debut earlier in the season in Nabucco, Baek’s “shining, beautifully deployed voice” (NYTimes) and “brashly confident ardor” (Observer) marked his Calàf as “the real deal”. Per OperaWire, “the audience absolutely loved him,” which bodes very well for his future.

Joyce DiDonato in *Dead Man Walking* (Karen Almond/Met Opera)

Best Mezzo-Soprano

Aigul Akhmetshina, Carmen
Maria Barakova, Nabucco
J’Nai Bridges, El Niño
Elizabeth DeShong, Madama Butterfly
WINNER: Joyce DiDonato, Dead Man Walking

Joyce’s performance elicited an avalanche of accolades. OperaWire called her “an American treasure,” the New York Times noted her “magnetic self-possession,” and I said in my review that her Sister Helen Prejean cemented her status as “the opera world’s sincerest actress.”

Clockwise from top right: McKinny, Liverman, Tines, Carfizzi, and Kelsey

Best Baritone/Bass-baritone/Bass

Patrick Carfizzi, La Forza del Destino
Will Liverman, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
WINNER: Quinn Kelsey, Un Ballo in Maschera
Ryan McKinny, Dead Man Walking
Davóne Tines, El Niño

This is Quinn’s second year in a row winning the Award, after winning in 2023 for his performance in the title role of Rigoletto. This year, Quinn’s “layered portrayal” of Count Anckarström was declared “an absolute triumph”.

Best Conductor

WINNER: Marin Alsop, El Niño
Daniele Callegari, Nabucco
Oksana Lyniv, Turandot
Diego Matheuz, Carmen
Kensho Watanabe, The Hours

Maestra Alsop, known as one of the world’s leading conductors, led the Met premiere of John Adams’ El Niño with “a palpable lightness” and “grace” (OperaWire). The New York Times noted that her “musical interpretation beautifully suits the production concept.”

Asmik Grigorian in *Madama Butterfly* (Evan Zimmerman/Met Opera)

Best Debut

WINNER: Asmik Grigorian, Madama Butterfly
Oksana Lyniv, Turandot
Emily Pogorelc, La Rondine
Liv Redpath, Un Ballo in Maschera
Davóne Tines, El Niño

Asmik’s overdue Met debut was a resounding success, with her Cio-Cio-San acclaimed as “remarkable” and “exquisite”. She “makes every other Butterfly seem artificial,” gushed Bachtrack, and she is already set to sing Jenůfa and Salome in future seasons.