ON THE PULSE OF OPERA
Rising Stars
How do we find and bring in the best singers the world of opera has to offer?
We meet many of them at our own Rising Stars Vocal Competition. Each Spring, we invite the world’s top young rising opera singers to compete for major cash prizes.
Do you recognize them?
Several of our Rising Stars winners performed major roles for us the past several years!
Alexandra Razskazoff
2024 Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars First Prize Winner
Alexandra Razskazoff was the Grand Finals Winner in the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She is pictured as Nedda in our 2025 I Pagliacci.
Meryl Dominguez
2021 Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars First Prize Winner
For the 2025 season, Meryl Dominguez made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Strauss’ Die Frau Ohne Schatten singing Unborn 2 and covering The Falcon. She is pictured as Violetta in our 2025 La Traviata.
Matthew White
2019 Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars First Prize Winner
(previously the Deborah Voigt/VBO Foundation Competition)
Matthew White is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts and has won such awards as the Grand Prize of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition and Grand Prize in the Mario Lanza Vocal Competition. He is pictured as Alfredo in our 2025 La Traviata.
Eleomar Cuello
2023 Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars First Prize Winner
Eleomar Cuello was a 2023 MET Laffont Competition Finals Winner and made his MET Opera debut in 2023-24 season. He is pictured as Don Giovanni in our 2023 Don Giovanni.
2025 Rising Stars
2024 Rising Stars
2023 Rising Stars
2025 JURY
Román Ortega-Cowan
President of the Jury
Artistic Director, Vero Beach Opera
Gregory Buchalter
Music Director, Vero Beach Opera
Metropolitan Opera Assistant Conductor
Music Director and Conductor, Varna International
Susan Neves
Internationally acclaimed MET Opera soprano
Scott Guzielek
President and Artistic Director,
Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA)