United States Various – George and Nora London Foundation Competition Finals: Soloists, John Arida (piano). Merkin Hall, New York, 20.2.2026. (RP)
Even by the standards of the George and Nora London Foundation Competition, the ten singers who competed in the 2026 finals were exceptional. The competition, now in its 54th year, is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious. Prior winners are basically a Who’s Who of opera luminaries, including Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Christine Goerke, Ryan Speedo Green, Matthew Polenzani and Sondra Radvanovsky.
This year’s judges were mezzo-soprano Susan Quittmeyer; tenor Dimitri Pittas; Matthew Horner, Senior Vice President of IMG Artists and London Foundation board member; and Gayletha Nichols, soprano and former Executive Director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, who served as chair. Two who have served for many years, soprano Harolyn Blackwell and bass James Morris, were sidelined by health issues.
The ten finalists were chosen from a field of 180 entrants over the course of three days of semi-final rounds. The finals were an efficient affair, with the singers briefly introducing themselves and the arias they were to perform. They were partnered by pianist John Arida, who teaches at The Juilliard School and has appeared in recital with some of the world’s most esteemed singing artists. Ultimately, six competitors were awarded George London Awards of $12,000, and Encouragement Awards of $2000 were bestowed upon the remaining four.
Soprano Anna Thompson (26, Rochester, Michigan) was the first to sing and garnered one of the top prizes with her full-voiced, sumptuous singing in ‘Dis-moi que je suis belle’ from Massenet’s Thaïs. Particularly striking were Thompson’s radiant high notes and the range of emotions she displayed in the courtesan’s musings on the emptiness of her life and the transience of beauty. Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha (who attended The Juilliard School for his Masters Degree and is currently in his second year in the Opera Studio of the Vienna Volksoper) placed with a dramatic account – in his rich, scintillating baritone – of ‘Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen’ from Korngold’s Die tote Stadt.
Named one of CBC Music’s hot classical musicians under 30, baritone Korin Thomas-Smith (29, Toronto) delighted in Dandini’s entrance aria, ‘Come un’ape ne’ giorni d’aprile’, from Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Particularly impressive was the baritone’s tongue-tripping patter as Dandini revels in what appears to be a comedy but will result in tragedy for some. At the opposite end of the dramatic and vocal spectrum was soprano Tiffany Choe (29, Orange County, California) singing ‘Senza mamma’ from Puccini’s Suor Angelica. This was verismo singing at its best, with Choe’s sumptuous voice rising to the aria’s most heartbreaking moments as well as its tenderest ones.
Despair of a different sort was expressed by soprano Adia Evans (32, Baltimore) in ‘Es gibt ein Reich’ from Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. Evan captured Ariadne’s profound despair and desire to escape the world and her glorious hopes of Hermes’s return, topped off with some impressive high B-flats. Equally commanding was bass-baritone Nicholas Newton (32, San Diego) in a towering account of ‘Aleko’s Cavatina’ from Rachmaninoff’s Aleko. In recalling the early days of his relationship with Zemfira and its ultimate collapse, Newton’s powerful baritone voiced Aleko’s cascade of emotions with eloquence and passion. ‘Aleko’s Cavatina’, the final aria to be sung, ends with a transfixing piano postlude. It was not only a fitting coda to the finals round but also the opportunity to savor the artistry of John Arida who had offered the singers unstinting and immeasurable support.
In announcing the winners, George and Nora London Foundation President John Hauser said that the Encouragement Awards were just that, and he hoped that the four singers who received them would try again. One who should take that to heart is tenor Matthew Sink (29, Las Vegas), who sang ‘Mein lieber Schwan’ from Wagner’s Lohengrin in a solid, gleaming voice and with impressive narrative skills.
Rick Perdian
The 2026 London Competition Finals are available to watch on YouTube (click here).
Massenet – ‘Dis-moi que je suis belle’ (Thaïs) / Anna Thompson (soprano)
Wagner – ‘Mein lieber Schwan’ (Lohengrin) / Matthew Sink (tenor)
Korngold – ‘Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen’ (Die tote Stadt) / Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha (baritone)
Bellini – ‘Care compagne’ (La sonnambula) / Jennifer Robinson (soprano)
Rossini – ‘Come un’ape ne’ giorni d’aprile’ (La Cenerentola) / Korin Thomas-Smith (baritone)
Puccini – ‘Senza mamma’ (Suor Angelica) / Tiffany Choe (soprano)
Bellini – ‘Sgombra è la sacra selva’ (Norma) / Grace Ryan (mezzo-soprano)
R. Strauss – ‘Es gibt ein Reich’ (Ariadne auf Naxos) / Adia Evans (soprano)
Richard Danielpour – ‘Margaret’s Lullaby’ (Margaret Garner) / Maiya Williams (mezzo-soprano)
Rachmaninoff – ‘Aleko’s Cavatina’ (Aleko) / Nicholas Newton (bass-baritone)