TCO NEXT: Tri-Cities Opera's first national vocal competition now virtual!

Tri-Cities Opera's first national vocal competition, TCO NEXT, will encourage emerging professional singers by promoting new voices and new music. Singers will compete for cash prizes with a grand prize of $3000 and a contract for a future role with Tri-Cities Opera. The entire competition will be online and has been tailored to fit Covid-19-related restrictions. 

The audition process will feature an anonymous audio-only first round where judges will receive no information that identifies the singer and the second round will move to video format. 

The final round will be adjudicated by a panel of renowned judges from the opera world with the finals concert streamed on October 18, 2020.

To encourage the preparation and exploration of diverse repertoire, TCO NEXT features a requirement that singers submit one musical theatre/cabaret selection, or a selection written in the 21st century. The competition will also incorporate an audience choice award via social media, giving artists the opportunity to hone networking skills by promoting their own video clips on Facebook and Instagram.

“This virtual format opens up a whole world of singers that we might not normally get to hear. We can’t wait to feature the fabulous talent coming up next in our industry.” - John Rozzoni, General Director of Tri-Cities Opera.