2023 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition Winners
Once again, the Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Singers were well-represented at the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious 2023 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. Three members of our company in Festival Seasons 2021 and 2022--Anthony Leon, Sarah Saturnino, and Teresa Perrotta--were honored, along with Christian Simmons, one of our Apprentice Singers in 2023.
Anthony León
Tenor Anthony León sang the role of Remendado in Carmen and performed in the choruses of Falstaff, M. Butterfly, The Lord of Cries, and Eugene Onegin. He has been part of the Los Angeles Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein program for Young Artists since the beginning of the 2022/23 season, where he has performed Rodrigo in Verdi’s Otello, Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, Spoletta in Tosca, and Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor. He did his graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Sarah Saturnino
Mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino performed in the choruses of Carmen, Falstaff, M. Butterfly, The Lord of Cries, and Eugene Onegin. Like fellow-Apprentice Anthony Leon, she joined the LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist program in 2022. On that stage she has sung the roles of Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia, Jacobed in Moses, and Emilia in Verdi’s Otello. She will return next season to perform as Flora in La traviata and Berta in The Barber of Seville. Ms. Saturnino holds a Masters degree from the Yale School of Music.
Teresa Perrotta
Soprano Teresa Perrotta portrayed Alice Ford in Falstaff and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and sang in the choruses of Carmen, The Lord of Cries, and Eugene Onegin. She also sang the role of Violetta in the Apprentice Scene from La traviata. Ms. Perrotta has joined the Caffritz Young Artist program at Washington National Opera; her roles this season included Fünfte Magd in Elektra as well as Musetta in La bohème. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati College of Music.
Christian Simmons
Bass-baritone Christian Simmons comes to the Santa Fe Opera via Deutsche Oper Berlin and Washington National Opera’s Caffritz Young Artist Program. This summer, he will sing the role of Apollo in Orfeo and cover Vodnik in Rusalka. His roles with Deutsche Oper have included Lord Rochefort (Anna Bolena), Zuniga (Carmen), and Sciarrone (Tosca). He is a graduate of Morgan State University and the Maryland Opera Studio.
Formerly known as the National Council Auditions, this annual contest drew over 800 singers across 36 geographical districts in 11 regions in 2023. Singers from the United States, Canada, and Mexico are eligible to apply. Singers from other countries who are training in the US may also apply. Each of the nine finalists receive a $20,000 cash prize.