Girl of the Golden Met Awards 2026: WINNERS!
Photograph by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera
Edit: VOTING CLOSED. Thank you to all who voted!
Choose your favorite performers and opera from the Met Opera's 2025-26 season! Vote by commenting on this blog post, on Instagram, on Facebook, or by voting each day in my Instagram story. Voting closes on Monday, June 22nd, at 11:59 PM EST.
Top: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Bottom: Tristan und Isolde
Best Opera
WINNER: Tristan und Isolde
“Art like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is what allows us to [repair a broken world],” gushed OperaWire. The opera “soars in the superhero realm and devastates in the human one” (TheaterMania), with an “utterly heartbreaking” Andrzej Filończyk and “wrenching” Miles Mykkanen.
Heralded as “the event of the season” by the New York Times and “a peak of the Met’s past decade” by Vulture, the Met’s “impeccable” (id.) newest production of Wagner’s monumental Tristan und Isolde starred a “breathtaking” (Seen and Heard International) Lise Davidsen and “heroic” (OperaWire) Michael Spyres. Congratulations to the casts of both operas!
Rosa Feola in La Traviata (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)
Best Soprano
WINNER: Rosa Feola, La Traviata
Rosa dazzled audiences and critics with her Met role debut as Violetta in La Traviata. The New York Classical Review announced that she had “triumphed” in the role, highlighting her “exciting roulades and trills” during “Sempre libera,” and I found her performance to be perhaps her best turn at the Met to date. Congratulations, Rosa!
Lawrence Brownlee in I Puritani (Ken Howard/Met Opera)
Best Tenor
WINNER: Lawrence Brownlee, I Puritani
Lawrence was “splendidly robust” (TheaterMania) as Arturo in 𝘐 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪 (only one of three bel canto operas in which he sang at the Met this season), displaying his “characteristically effortless tone” (NYTimes), a “legato line that flowed and melted into the next” (OperaWire), and flawless high notes up to a mind-boggling high F above C. Congratulations, Lawrence!
Isabel Leonard in El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)
Best Mezzo-Soprano
Isabel was more than up to the colossal task of playing the iconic Frida Kahlo, bringing a “commanding and charismatic presence” (NYTimes) to El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego. From her “gorgeous legato lines” (OperaWire) to her “fiery and resonant chest voice” to her “radiant high notes” (id.), her “lustrous, classy voice” was in full bloom. Congratulations, Isabel!
Christian Van Horn in I Puritani (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)
Best Baritone/Bass-Baritone/Bass
Andrzej Filończyk, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
WINNER: Christian Van Horn, I Puritani
This is Christian’s second consecutive win, after winning Best Bass-baritone/Bass last year for his Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann. This year, he prevailed for his “virilely and nobly” sung (The New Criterion) Sir Giorgio Valton in I Puritani, his portrayal “muscular and compassionate in equal measure” (Classical Music Guide). Congratulations, Christian!
Giacomo Sagripanti
Best Conductor
Maestro Sagripanti led La Fille du Régiment with “boundless verve, bringing out [Donizetti’s] crispness and wit and, with it, the orchestra’s full colors” (Observer). He “wrapped the softer [arias and ensembles] in cushiony woodwinds” (New York Classical Review) and, most importantly, “displayed great care for each of his singers” (OperaWire). Congratulations, Maestro!
Andrzej Filończyk in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Evan Zimmerman/Met Opera)
Best Debut
Andrzej gave a uniformly stunning performance as Joe Kavalier in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; OperaWire noted his “rich, glorious, and muscular vocal line,” while Bachtrack highlighted his “physicality that made Joe’s mix of grief and restless drive fully believable.” Congratulations, Andrzej!
