LA Opera has announced the members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program for the 2025-26 season.

The company stated that two of the three new members joining the program are singers, and one is a pianist and coach.

Soprano Emily Damasco and mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg were chosen from more than 800 applicants, while pianist/coach Gabrielė Žemaitytė was chosen by an audition panel.

Auditions for the program took place in New York, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles and the finalists auditioned in Los Angeles in the spring for a panel that included President and CEO Christopher Koelsch, Music Director James Conlon, Susan Graham, the program’s Artistic Advisor, Paul Hopper, Senior Director of Artistic Planning, Blair Salter, head coach for the program, and Stephen King, head of vocal instruction for the program.

The audition panel for pianists and coaches included James Conlon, Paul Hopper, and Blair Salter, as well as Jeremy Frank, the company’s chorus director, who is also a coach for the Young Artist Program.

The three new artists will join seven current members: soprano Gabrielle Turgeon, tenors Nathan Bowles and Yuntong Han, baritone Hyungjin Son, bass Vinícius Costa, and pianist/coaches Sujin Choi and Julian Garvue.

In a statement, Koelsch said, “The Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program is widely recognized as one of the premier training programs for emerging operatic talent, with alumni performing on many of the world’s most important stages. The program provides an exceptionally supportive and inspiring environment in which young artists can flourish, offering meaningful opportunities for artistic growth and close collaboration with singers, conductors, directors and coaches of the highest caliber. We are honored to support the development of the next generation of deeply communicative and expressive artists, and look forward to experiencing their contributions throughout the coming season.”

Damasco is set to appear with the company as Beketaten in “Akhnaten” and as Pagagena in “The Magic Flute.” She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music and performed the roles of the Countess in “The Marriage of Figaro,” Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte” and Fox Gold-Stripe in “The Cunning Little Vixen.”

Meanwhile, Trigg will perform Maketaten in “Akhnaten” and the Second Lady in “The Magic Flute” with LA Opera. She completed her Master of Music at the Curtis Institute of Music and has performed with the Auckland Philharmonia, Auckland Choral, and the Binghamton Philharmonic.

Žemaitytė joins LA Opera in the coming season, serving on the music staff for “La Bohème.” She completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical piano performance at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague.

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