Opera Birmingham’s Vocal Competition returns in Spring 2025, featuring the top emerging operatic voices in the U.S. Ten rising operatic stars will perform a finals concert, competing for cash prizes and the opportunity to appear in future Opera Birmingham productions.
Established in 1978 by the Southern Regional Opera to identify talented local singers, the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition has grown to become a national competition that has helped launch the careers of the best American young opera stars. Vocal Competition finalists, including Leah Partridge and Birmingham native Corey McKern, have gone on to perform at major national and international opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera. Recent competition winners Melinda Whittington, Alex DeSocio and Quinn Middleman have returned for staring roles in Opera Birmingham productions of Romeo and Juliet and Hansel and Gretel.