Alumni of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music claimed three of the six top prizes at the 2026 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, marking an extraordinary showing for the Houston conservatory at one of opera’s most prestigious showcases for emerging talent. Soprano Shannon Crowley ’24, baritone Gabriel Natal-Báez ’25 and soprano Anna Thompson ’25 were named grand finals winners after competing among 10 finalists and performing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera with the Met Opera Orchestra under the baton of conductor Carlo Rizzi. The accomplishment is particularly striking because each of the school’s three voice studios is represented by the winners. Crowley was a student of Robin Rice, while Natal-Báez studied with Ana María Martínez and Thompson trained with Nova Thomas.
“The success that Anna, Shannon and Gabriel shared on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera this weekend is testament to the extraordinary training provided by the Shepherd School’s opera program,” said Joshua Winograde, director of opera studies at the Shepherd School. “Each of them emerged from a different professor’s studio, which affirms the technical excellence that our extraordinary voice faculty embodies. And the world-class level of artistry these singers demonstrated — under such intense pressure, I might add — underscores our first-rate performance curriculum and coaching staff.”
The Laffont Competition, formerly known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, is widely regarded as one of the most important launching pads for young opera singers. Founded in 1954, the nationwide competition identifies promising vocalists and supports their professional development through a rigorous series of auditions culminating in the grand finals at the Metropolitan Opera. Each winner receives a $20,000 cash prize as well as the prestige, exposure and networking opportunities that come with recognition from a program that has launched the careers of many of opera’s most celebrated artists, including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee. In addition to Crowley, Natal-Báez and Thompson, soprano Page Michels ’21 — a former student of Stephen King, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor Emeritus of Voice — advanced to the national semifinals of the competition, earning a $5,000 cash prize.
In the final round, the three Shepherd alumni performed demanding selections from the operatic repertoire before a panel of distinguished judges. Natal-Báez performed “Hai già vinta la causa … Vedrò, mentr’io sospiro” from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and “O Carlo, ascolta … Io morrò” from Verdi’s “Don Carlo.” Crowley sang “No word from Tom … Quietly, night … I go, I go to him” from Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” and “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Handel’s “Giulio Cesare.” Thompson performed “Ernani! … Ernani, involami … Tutto sprezzo che d’Ernani” from Verdi’s “Ernani” and “Dis-moi que je suis belle” from Massenet’s “Thaïs.”
Crowley is currently a resident artist with Pittsburgh Opera where she has appeared in productions including “Time to Act,” “Fellow Travelers” and “Armida” and will perform Nannetta in “Falstaff” this season. She previously trained with Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Saratoga and will join the prestigious Merola Opera Program in San Francisco this summer.
Natal-Báez, a Puerto Rican native, is an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera and participated in the company’s Merola Opera Program in 2025. His repertoire includes roles in “The Ghosts of Versailles,” “Dido and Aeneas,” “Le Comte Ory” and “Rigoletto,” and he recently made his debut as baritone soloist in a Christmas concert with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.
Thompson is currently a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Her recent performances include Countess Madeleine in “Capriccio,” Countess Almaviva in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and the title role in “Suor Angelica.” She has received numerous honors including the top prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition and a George and Nora London Foundation Award.
Their victories continue a growing legacy of Shepherd School success in the Laffont Competition. In 2025, baritone Luke Sutliff ’21 was named one of the competition’s five winners while alumni Lauren Carroll ’24 and Kresley Figueroa ’21 reached the national semifinals. In 2024, soprano Tessa McQueen ’24 was a national finalist and later joined the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.