Two music alums took the stage at the Metropolitan Opera this spring as part of the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, which has helped launch the careers of some of the nation’s greatest opera stars.
Rachel Blaustein ’13 (soprano) and Elizabeth Sarian ’15 (mezzo-soprano), were among 21 singers chosen from thousands to compete the in the prestigious contest in April. Thousands of singers apply to participate in the competition.
Blaustein made it to the Grand Finals of the competition and won a $10,000 cash prize. She performed “Regnava nel silenzio … Quando rapito in estasi,” an aria from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti, and “I worry, that’s all” from the opera Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears.
“From the people I know who have made it to the semifinals and finals,” Blaustein said. “All are working consistently. It’s a big career boost.”
The competition, which began in 1954, is designed to discover promising talent. According to the Met’s website, some of today’s most renowned singers got their start in these auditions, including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Stephanie Blythe, Eric Owens, Lawrence Brownlee, Lisette Oropesa, Jamie Barton, Michael Fabiano, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Ryan Speedo Green, and Nadine Sierra.
Each leg of the competition exposes the singers to creative directors, talent scouts, agents and managers across the country.
“Getting this far in the competition is something we – as young opera singers – have been waiting for and hoping to do,” said Sarian. “You can only participate from the time you are 21 until you are 30 [the age has been extended to 31 this year because of COVID]. It’s so exciting and validating.”
Long before the Laffront Competition, Blaustein and Sarian have been building their credits and careers. The young women reconnected while earning graduate degrees in vocal studies at the Peabody Institute at The Johns Hopkins University.
Blaustein and Sarian participated in the internationally acclaimed Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singer Program. Later this year they will reunite at the Gerdine Young Artist Program at the Opera Theater of St. Louis. There, Blaustein will play Ruth in the world premiere of Awakenings and will cover the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute. Sarian will cover the title role in Carmen and play Mama in the world premiere of Harvey Milk.
Earlier in 2022 Blaustein performed with the Washington National Opera and the New York City Opera. She also recently appeared with the Tulsa Opera, the Chicago Opera, and the Opera Santa Barbara. Sarian has performed with the Atlanta Opera Studio, the Central City Opera Bonfils-Stanton Artist Training Program, and the Opera North Resident Artist Program.
Watch Rachel Blaustein perform I worry, that’s all
“The name…describes my own journey in college,” Zhang said. “This project is in many ways a culmination of my experiences here at Hofstra and is symbolic of me making it through to the end.”
“The past year has been particularly rough for me,” she said. “Although I started the fall semester so excited to be able to see everyone again, my mental health took a huge hit trying to adapt back to a normal life as much as possible. I had many hard days where I was ready to give up on all of my responsibilities as a student, but I pushed through with the help and support of a lot of people around me.”
Zhang’s mentor, engineering professor Dr. Edward Segal, said it’s unusual for students to undertake senior design projects of such a large scale.
“The effort and energy she puts into her projects is beyond a typical undergraduate,” Segal said. “All of the iterations needed for this kind of project can be intimidating or discouraging because you get to a point and you have to back track or start over. Design isn’t linear. And she just kept coming back and pushing through.”
"Getting this far in the competition is something we – as young opera singers – have been waiting for and hoping to do."
Elizabeth Sarian ’15
Blaustein, who began college a drama major and music major, discovered opera at Hofstra and changed her major to music.
“I began taking music lessons with Professor Tammy Hensrud. She encouraged me to audition for the Hofstra Opera Theater production of Die Fledermaus,” she said. “I had no experience with opera; I had never even seen an opera.
“After I was cast in the chorus of Die Fledermaus, it turned out to be one of the most fun experiences. I later changed my major to music and had so many opportunities to perform, not only with the Opera Theater but with Dr. [David] Fryling’s Hofstra Chorale and Chamber Choir. Those rehearsals, performances, and friendships changed my life.”
Like Blaustein, Sarian entered Hofstra with no intention to major in music. She was an education major with a music minor. Notes from professors after performing in class continually asked, “Why aren’t you majoring in music?”
Brava! Two @HofstraMusic alums competed in yesterday’s prestigious @MetOpera Laffront Competition for rising operatic stars. Congrats to Rachel Blaustein and Elizabeth Sarian, and good luck to Rachel as she moves onto the finals. https://t.co/MPzkhSmDy2
— Hofstra President Susan Poser (@SusanPoser) April 25, 2022
Sarian began taking lessons with Professor Sarah Hoover, who is now an associate dean at the Peabody Institute. “She really shepherded me into this major,” Sarian said. “There is nothing I could say that would adequately express how wonderful and nurturing she was toward me.”
Sarian also praises her time in Dr. Fryling’s Chorale and Chamber Choir. “The sense of community in the Music Department is huge. Dr. Fryling made the experience so fun and the music accessible. The fact also that we had junior and senior recitals is important. Those opportunities to perform by ourselves built our confidence.”
Said Fryling: “Rachel and Liz are two shining examples of the advantages of a liberal arts education. They both found their true calling as professional singers because of the many paths open to them at Hofstra, and because of the high-level opportunities that the Music Department was able to offer them.”