THE 2025 GEORGE LONDON AWARD WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED

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THE 2025 GEORGE LONDON AWARD WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED 

Sopranos Shelén Hughes and Magdalena Kuźma, Tenor Alec Carlson, and Bass Baritones Evan Lazdowski and Joseph Parrish Each Win $12,000 Top Award at  the 53rd George and Nora London Foundation Competition 

New York, NY – February 21, 2025 – The winners of the 53^rd George and Nora London Foundation Competition for young American and Canadian opera singers, one of the opera world’s oldest and most  prestigious competitions, were announced at the conclusion of the competition’s final round this  evening, which took place at Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City for  in-person and online audiences. 

The event is now available to watch on YouTube.  

A total of $74,000 was given in awards, announced by George and Nora London Foundation President  John Hauser. Of the singers (selected from 175 applicants) heard over three days of semi-final rounds,  12 were selected as finalists to perform at the Morgan. Of these, five were named winners of George  

London Awards of $12,000 each. The remaining seven singers were awarded George London  Encouragement Awards of $2,000 each. 

George and Nora London Foundation President John Hauser, third from right, with 2025 George London Award  winners (left to right) Evan Lazdowski, Magdalena Kuźma, Alec Carlson, Shelén Hughes, and Joseph Parrish. Photo  by Beth Bergman (click to download hi-res photo).

Each finalist performed one selection, and the winners were announced to the audience immediately  after the judges’ deliberations. This year’s judges were soprano Harolyn Blackwell, mezzo-soprano Susan  Quittmeyer, tenor Dimitri Pittas, bass James Morris, and Gayletha Nichols, soprano and former  Executive Director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, who chaired the jury. Lachlan  Glen was the competition’s pianist. 

GEORGE LONDON AWARDS ($12,000 each): 

Alec Carlson, tenor (33, Red Oak, IA), who sang “Grimes’s Mad Scene” from Britten’s Peter Grimes – George London Award in memory of Lloyd E. Rigler, sponsored by The Lloyd E. Rigler and Lawrence E.  Deutsch Foundation, James D. Rigler, President 

Shelén Hughes, soprano (28, Cochabamba, Bolivia), who sang the “Snow Maiden’s Aria” from Rimsky Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden – George London Award in memory of Leonie Rysanek, sponsored by an  anonymous donor 

Magdalena Kuźma, soprano (28, New York, NY), who sang “Ha! Dzieciatko nam umiera” from Stanislaw  Moniuszko’s Halka – George London Award in memory of Mary Palumbo, sponsored by Donald Palumbo 

Evan Lazdowski, bass-baritone (26, Moultonborough, NH), who sang “When my cue comes, call me”  from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – George London Award sponsored by the New York  Community Trust and the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers 

Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone (27, Baltimore, MD), who sang “A dream wasted” from William Grant  Still’s Highway 1, USA – George London Award in memory of Norma Newton, sponsored by the George  and Nora London Foundation for Singers 

GEORGE LONDON ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS ($2,000 each): 

Emily Damasco, soprano (24, Glen Mills, PA) – Award in memory of Dr. Herbert Appel, sponsored by  Susan Appel 

Sam Dhobhany, bass-baritone (23, Brooklyn, NY) – Award in memory of Herbert J. Frank – sponsored by  David Shustak and the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers 

Ruby Dibble, mezzo-soprano (29, Kansas City, MO) – Award in memory of Jaclyn Elyn, sponsored by the  estate of Mark Elyn  

Rachel Kobernick, soprano (26, West Chester, PA) – Award in memory of Lois Kirschenbaum, sponsored  by the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers 

Dalia Medovnikov, soprano (23, Woodbridge, CT) – Award in memory of J. Donald McNamara  sponsored by Lynn Broward McNamara 

Korin Thomas-Smith, baritone (28, Toronto, Canada) – Award in memory of Jaclyn Elyn, sponsored by  the estate of Mark Elyn 

The 2025 George London Awards Winners Are Announced – Page 3 of 5  

Alan Williams, bass (31, San Bernardino, CA) – Award in memory of Lois Kirschenbaum, sponsored by the  George and Nora London Foundation for Singers 

Since 1971, the foundation’s annual competition has given more than 300 awards, and a total of more  than $2 million, to an outstanding roster of young American and Canadian opera singers who have gone  on to international stardom – the list of past winners includes Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Christine  Goerke, Ryan Speedo Green, Catherine Malfitano, James Morris, Eric Owens, Dimitri Pittas, Matthew  Polenzani, Sondra Radvanovsky, Neil Shicoff, Dawn Upshaw, and Willard White, to name just a few. As  The New York Times noted, “this prestigious competition … can rightfully claim to act as a springboard  for major careers in opera.” 

Megan Moore Performs the World Premiere of Crossing Borders, A Song Cycle Based on Nora London’s  WWII Diary, by Jake Heggie, on April 6 

To mark the 30^th anniversary of its annual recital series by George London Award winners, the London  Foundation has made its first commission of a composition: a song cycle by Jake Heggie and Gene  Scheer based upon the WWII diaries of Nora London, telling the dramatic story of her family’s escape  from France to America when she was 16 years old. Crossing Borders will have its world premiere  performed by mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, a 2022 George London Award winner, at her recital at The  Morgan on Sunday, April 6, at 4 pm. She will also perform music by Rossini, Strozzi, Mahler,  Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev with pianist Francesco Barfoed. 

George London and the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers 

George London (1920-1985) was one of the greatest opera stars of the 20th century, who blazed a trail  for American singers on the international stage and created some of the most indelible interpretations  of prominent bass-baritone roles. In his later years, he devoted much of his time and energy to the  support and nurturing of young singers, in partnership with his wife, Nora. See the full list of George  London Award winners: https://www.georgeandnoralondon.org/competition.html 

In addition to the annual competition, the George and Nora London Foundation also presents a recital  series to give grantees exposure and experience, and, in many cases, a New York recital debut. The  foundation also awards scholarships to promising high school students attending the pre-college  program of The Juilliard School, a program now in its 12th year. 

www.georgeandnoralondon.org 

2025 George London Award Winners 

Alec Carlson, tenor (33, Red Oak, IA) American heldentenor Alec Carlson has been garnering attention  and acclaim on the concert and operatic stages for his “powerful voice.” In September of 2023, Alec was  the tenor soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under  the direction of Neeme Järvi and sang his first Verdi Requiem with the San Jose Symphonic Chorus. This  season includes his debut with Teatro Municipal de Santiago in his role debut as Erik in Der Fliegende  Holländer. Recent seasons have included his house and role debut as Max (Der Freischütz) with Opera  Wrocławska and a concert of bel canto repertoire under the baton of Maestro Dmitry Korchak with the  Winter Bashmet Festival in Sochi, Russia. Alec was the 2019 recipient of the Richard Tucker Fund Award  from Santa Fe Opera. Other awards and distinctions held include a grant from the Wagner Society of  New York, the Richard and Kerry Stillwell Award from the Opera Index Vocal Competition, the Tenor  Viñas Competition, Brava! Opera Theater and James M. Collier Vocal Competition, the Palm Springs  Opera Guild Competition, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation. Alec recently graduated as an Emerging  Artist with Opera for Peace, and is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center with Lyric Opera of Chicago,  Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, Wolf Trap Opera Studio, and the Houston Grand Opera Young Artist  Vocal Academy. www.aleccarlsontenor.com  

Shelén Hughes, soprano (28, Cochabamba, Bolivia) Bolivian soprano Shelén Hughes is passionate about  both music and social impact. She will soon make her European debut at Frankfurt Opera as Morgana in  Alcina and perform with The Cleveland Orchestra. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and The  

Juilliard School, she received the 2024 Florence and Paul DeRosa Prize and won first place in the  Zarzuela/Operetta division of the Gerda Lissner Competition. She is also a 2024 Opera Index winner, a  semifinalist in the Concours de Genève, and a finalist in the Renata Tebaldi Competition. Hughes has  performed leading roles at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, the Perelman Arts  Center, and with the New York Festival of Song, making her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019. Beyond the  stage, she is the founder of Voices for Bolivia, an international nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives  of elderly Bolivians in extreme poverty through classical music. www.shelenhughes.com 

Magdalena Kuźma, soprano (28, New York, NY) Polish-American soprano Magdalena Kuźma is rapidly  gaining recognition for her vibrant voice and compelling stage presence. Critics have lauded her "star  quality" and "shining, free, and lustrous" voice. This season, she returns to the Metropolitan Opera as  

Papagena in both productions of The Magic Flute and Die Zauberflöte and makes her role debut as  Bubikopf in Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the New World Symphony. She will also perform in a recital with  the Cincinnati Song Initiative and as the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Santa Rosa  Symphony. Next season, she makes her European debut as Pamina in the famous Barrie Kosky  production of Die Zauberflöte at the Polish National Opera. A recent alumna of the Metropolitan Opera's  Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Kuźma made her mainstage debut at the Met in the  2023-24 season as Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore and later that season sang Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at  The Glimmerglass Festival. At the Met, she has also sung Sister Catherine in the premiere of Dead Man  Walking and Yvette in La Rondine. Other operatic roles include Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Frasquita in  Carmen, and Adina in L’elisir d’amore. She is an active recitalist, having performed at Wigmore Hall and  other prestigious venues. On the concert stage, she was the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4  with the Richmond Symphony. Kuźma has won numerous competitions, including the Jensen Foundation  and Butler International. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School, Oberlin College, and Yale  University, where she was valedictorian. www.magdalenakuzma.com

Evan Lazdowski, bass-baritone (26, Moultonborough, NH) Cited as “impressive” in The Wall Street  Journal, and praised in Opera News for his “warm, hearty bass-baritone,” Evan Lazdowski is a graduate of  the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Program. Productions with the company have included Le nozze di  Figaro (Figaro), Ariodante (Il Re), and Proving Up (Sodbuster). Engagements in the current season include  his upcoming debut at the Santa Fe Opera, where he will sing in both La bohème (Sergeant) and  Rigoletto (Usher). Past career highlights include La bohème (Colline) at the Berkshire Opera Festival,  Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd, cover) at Chautauqua Opera, Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) at the  Aspen Music Festival, The Magic Flute (Speaker) with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and The Rake’s  Progress (Nick Shadow) with Juilliard Opera. At the Glimmerglass Festival, Mr. Lazdowski sang the title  role in the world premiere of Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children, composed by Jens Ibsen. He  has been seen in recital at Alice Tully Hall, has been a finalist in both Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of  Arias and Dallas Opera’s National Vocal Competition, and is a multi-season award winner of the  Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Mr. Lazdowski holds degrees from both The Juilliard School and  Manhattan School of Music. www.evanlazdowski.com 

Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone (27, Baltimore, MD) Joseph Parrish has quickly established himself in the  classical music world, performing at renowned venues such as the Salzburger Festspiele, the John F.  Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall. This season, he makes debuts with the  Oratorio Society of New York, MasterVoices, and Town Hall NYC. During the 2023-24 season, he  appeared at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Usedomer Musikfestival, and Carnegie Hall. In  June 2024, he debuted as Masetto in Don Giovanni with Cincinnati Opera and as Potapitsch in The  Gambler with the Salzburger Festspiele. Joseph holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School, where he participated in the Gluck Community Service  Fellowship Program and the Music Advancement Program. He is a frequent collaborator with the Denyce  Graves Foundation and Voices for Bolivia. www.joseph-parrish.com