The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Residency

YUNUET LAGUNA

This season: Mexican soprano Yunuet Laguna makes her role debut as Aida with the Teatro del Bicentenario and returns to the role of Micaëla in Carmen in her debut with Des Moines Metro Opera. Previous experience: Last season, she made her Met debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, joined the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for Micaëla in Carmen, and sang Mimi in La Bohème in her debut with the Municipal de Santiago, Opera Nacional de Chile. Ms. Laguna was a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap Opera in Summer 2020 and 2021, where she made her debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, Maguelonne in Viardot’s Cendrillon, and Jeannette in Bologne’s L’Amant Anonyme. In September of 2019, she debuted with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, where she performed a program of Spanish zarzuelas during Hispanic Heritage Month. In January 2020, she made her debut with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, under Maestro Xian Zhang. She has been the recipient of multiple awards, including first place at the 2019 Opera Index Competition and the 2020 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Prize. She is also the first Mexican soprano in history to participate in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She was the winner of the inaugural Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) Mexico District auditions in San Miguel, Mexico, and earned second place at the MONC Gulf Coast Region auditions in 2019. In the same year, she was a finalist in the Sinaloa International Vocal Competition, where she received a scholarship to attend the San Miguel de Allende Bel Canto Institute, and in February of 2019, she was the winner of the Ana María Martinez Encouragement Award at the Houston Grand Opera competition. Education: She is a recent graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera, and winner of the Elizabeth Connell Prize International Competition.

SIPHOKAZI MOLTENO

This season: Flora in Verdi’s La Traviata and Soeur Mathilde in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites at the Metropolitan Opera. Previous experience: She will make her Met debut during the 2022-23 season as Flora in La Traviata and appear as Sister Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmélites. During the 2021/22 season, she sang Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Saratoga Opera and was the mezzosoprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Camerata Notturna. As a young artist with the Cape Town Opera, she sang Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte. Recent concert engagements include Haydn’s Theresienmesse and Mozart’s Sparrow Mass with the New Choral Society, Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai and Mozart’s Coronation Mass with St. George’s Cathedral Cape Town, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Dar Choral Society Tanzania. She is the 2022 winner of the Opera Index Vocal Competition. She won the Fleur Du Cap’s Best Performance in an Opera (Female) Award for two of her performances at Cape Town Opera; Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi in 2020 and Dorabella in Così fan tutte in 2021. She also received the 2020 Rising Star Encouragement Award in the Glyndebourne Opera Cup and received both the Ana Maria Marti’nez Encouragement Award and the Audience Choice Award at Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition in 2017. Education: Siphokazi holds degrees in music from Nelson Mandela University and the University of Cape Town.

JONAH HOSKINS

This season: Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata and Nemorino (cover and sing) in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at the Metropolitan Opera. Chevalier Belfiore in Rossini’s II viaggio a Reims at Semperoper Dresden. Previous experience: During the Met’s 2022-23 season, he sings Gastone in La Traviata and Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore. Early in the season, he made his European debut as Chevalier Belfiore in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims in Dresden. He made his Met debut as the Dean in Cinderella during the 2021-22 season, during which he also participated in the annual Lindemann Program recital series held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Recent operatic engagements include the Sailor in Tristan und Isolde at the Santa Fe Opera, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Pensacola Opera, and Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette at the Utah Opera. Notable concert appearances include Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Bard Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah with the New Choral Society. Since being named a Grand Finals winner of the Met’s Laffont Competition in 2020, he has received awards in multiple national and international competitions, most notably taking second prize at Operalia in 2021. He was a finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition, won first prize in the National Opera Association’s Competition, and received the 2021-22 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award. He is an alumnus of the Des Moines Metro Opera apprentice artist program, Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artist Vocal Academy, and Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. Education: Jonah holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Brigham Young University.

JUAN JOSÉ LÀZARO

This season: Lindemann Program Patron Concert of opera scenes, and annual Program recital series held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Previous experience: The 2022-23 season marks his first year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, where he will prepare and perform in the Patron Concert of opera scenes, annual recital series held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and Met Orchestra Workshop. Recent operatic engagements include Die Zauberflöte with the Merola Opera Program and Idomeneo at Teatro Grattacielo. He was accepted as vocal fellow with the Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy of the West in 2020 and was prepared to work on Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Menotti’s The Medium, and Hansel und Gretel. These engagements were unfortunately canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During his extensive academic career, he has worked as a rehearsal pianist, coach, and performer in a number of productions, including Così fan tutte, Les Pecheurs de Perles, Frank Loesser’s musical Where’s Charley?, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, among others. His experience as a coach extends beyond operatic repertoire into art song, where he has collaborated with singers worldwide on recitals and master classes, including recital tours in Bulgaria and Austria. Education: Juan is an alumnus of LaGuardia Performing Arts High School and the Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division. He holds degrees in collaborative piano from The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. In 2021, he achieved a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Vocal Collaborative Studies.