(Credit: Dallas Opera official website)

The Dallas Opera has announced the winners of the 31 st Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition, following their live performances under the baton of Music Director Emmanuel Villaume.

Baritone Blake Denson took home first place, soprano Kathryn Henry finished second, and soprano Sylvia D’Eramo and mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce shared third place. The People’s Choice Award, as determined by the audience vote, went to Blake Denson.

Finalists who participated in the final round were soprano Chasiti Lashay, tenor Efraín Corralejo, bass-baritone Evan Lazdowski, and bass Ricardo Ceballos de la Mora.

All prizewinners receive cash awards, as well as the opportunity to perform with a major orchestra and a world-class conductor.

Winners were selected by a panel of judges, chaired by the Dallas Opera’s Artistic Consultant David Lomelí and including Maestro Emmanuel Villaume; Afton Battle, General Director of Fort Worth Opera; Christina Scheppelmann, General Director of Seattle Opera; Jean Kellogg, Executive Director of the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera; and Brian Zeger, Artistic Director of the Marcus Vocal Arts Department at the Juilliard School.

Past prizewinners of the Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition include such singers as Latonia Moore, J’Nai Bridges, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, and John Holiday, among many others.