Butler Opera International Competition

A singer in a formal yellow ball gown performs on stage with her arms outstretched, as a pianist accompanies behind her.
Butler Opera International Competition

THE COMPETITION

The Butler Opera International Competition seeks the world’s finest emerging vocal artists through an annual competition at the Butler School of Music of The University of Texas at Austin. 

Interested singers must complete an application through YAP TRACKER, submitting an application, resume, headshot and two recent video selections in contrasting languages and musical styles. All semi-finalists will be chosen from the materials applicants submit.

Twenty-four semi-finalists will be invited to Austin through screening of the completed application and video clips. Up to ten finalists will be chosen after a semi-final round to compete for over $35,000 in prizes in a final evening competition which is open to the public.

Accompanists will be provided. Open to singers 18-36. Applicants are responsible for obtaining proper US visas, travel and lodging. All competition events take place at the Butler School of Music on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. All contestants must be available for all competition events, September 29 – October 2, 2025.

Prizes

Sarah and Ernest Butler Prize (First) | $10,000
Second Prize | $8,000
Third Prize  | $6,000
Fourth Prize | $4,000
Robert DeSimone Prize (Fifth)  | $2,000

All other finalists will receive an Encouragement Prize of $1,000
 

2025 COMPETITION Schedule 

September 29    
All contestants arrive in Austin. 

September 30    
Semi-final rounds. 

October 1        
Industry Day with Butler Opera Center Faculty and Judges.
Evening Finals concert.

Auditions

Application is now open


Apply Now

Interested singers must complete an application through YAPTRACKER, submitting application, resume, bio, headshot and two video selections in contrasting languages and musical styles. All semi-finalists will be chosen from the materials applicants submit.  

Application Fee


$25 USD, as processed through the YAPTRACKER application.  

Application Deadline

July 1, 2025

Notification Date

August 1, 2025

Repertoire

Four arias will be heard during the competition. One must be in English. 
Two arias will be performed during the semi-final round.  
Additional two arias will be performed in the final evening concert.

Help

For questions regarding the competition or application process
Contact Tamar Sanikidze, director at BOIC@austin.utexas.edu  

For technical help with yaptracker
Contact help@yaptracker.com

About The Competition

As part of the Butler Opera Center, and led by it’s visionary director, Tamar Sanikidze, the competition promotes the center’s mission of crafting the next generation of opera professionals. The competition’s judging panel unites the most influential experts in opera, representing many of the world’s leading opera companies and training institutions. Made possible by the support of Dr. Ernest and Mrs. Sarah Butler, over $35,000 in prize money and encouragement awards will be presented at this year’s competition in October, 2025.
 

 


 

Judges

a headshot of Colin Brush

Colin Michael Brush

Colin Brush is the director of the Sarah and Ernest butler Houston Grand Opera Studio. He previously served as artistic administrator for Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C., where he helped plan mainstage operas and other performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with responsibilities including negotiating artist contracts, casting singers, holding auditions, and traveling extensively in search of talent. A former Bosch Foundation Fellow and the recipient of a Flausen arts research grant, Brush holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music degree in Opera from the University of Maryland. He speaks four languages.

a headshot of Claudia Chapa

Claudia Chapa

Claudia Chapa (she/her) is an award-winning performer, curator, and Latine cultural advocate. She is the Associate Director of Artistic Administration and the Curator of Hispanic and Latinx Programming at Austin Opera.  As a mezzo soprano, she performed with Dallas Opera, Virginia Opera, San Diego Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, among many other houses. Recent highlights include recording Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic at the famed Abbey Roads Studios. In 2017, Chapa made her Carnegie Hall debut as the mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Distinguished Concert International New York (DCINY). She received the prestigious Silverman Award, the Monica & Roger McNeill Award and is a grant recipient from the Olga Forrai Foundation. In 2015, she participated in the Young Artist Program at The Glimmerglass Festival and studied vocal performance at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2022, Austin Opera appointed her as their inaugural Curator of Hispanic and Latinx programming. In this role, she spearheads programming in Spanish and develops initiatives to increase Latine communities’ access to opera. Her dedication to cultural representation in opera continues as the founder of the Latine Opera Alliance, a diverse group of Latine-identifying opera singers, creatives, and administrators striving to uplift and advocate for equity and representation in opera.

a headshot of Paul Hooper

Paul HoPper

Paul Hopper is LA Opera’s senior director, artistic planning. His duties in Los Angeles include overseeing all casting for the company and serving as the artistic and strategic head of the company’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. For the five seasons before, he was the Associate Artistic Administrator at The Metropolitan Opera where he worked on the casting of over 200 performances annually, including the Grammy award winning productions of Porgy and Bess, Akhnaten, Fire Shut up in My Bones, and Champion. Previously, he was the assistant artistic director at Houston Grand Opera where he assisted in long term artistic planning and casting, managed special artistic initiatives, and guided a variety of audiences in learning more about opera, including numerous events in support of the company’s first Ring Cycle. As principal dramaturg for the company he worked closely with composers and librettists in the commissioning and development of new works. He regularly serves on the juries for international vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera’s Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, the Queen Sonja International Music Competition, the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, and the Tenor Viñas Competition. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Houston, Paul is also Artistic Advisor for the Lakes Area Music Festival. He previously held positions at the Santa Fe Opera and ADA Artist Management. 

a Headshot of David Lomelí

David Lomelí

David Lomelí is a globally recognized leader in the opera world, celebrated for his innovative approach to artistic strategy and casting. He is Chief Artistic Advisor at Santa Fe Opera and a consultant for Bayerische Staatsoper, The Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera, and the Croatian National Theater in Rijeka.A former winner of the Operalia competition, Lomelí transitioned from a distinguished singing career to becoming one of the most influential artistic creatives in classical music. As the founder of Lomeli Consulting and a champion for diversity through Opera America, he leverages his unique blend of artistic and technological expertise to shape the future of the performing arts. A proud Mexican, Lomelí is dedicated to fostering creativity, inclusivity, and excellence in opera worldwide.

a headshot of Tamar Sanikidze

Tamar Sanikidze

Dr. Tamar Sanikidze is a “technically nimble and supportive pianist” (New York Times) with a distinguished career spanning performance, coaching, and leadership in the opera world. She currently serves as the Sarah and Ernest Butler Endowed Professor in Opera at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is also director, producer, and principal coach of the Butler Opera Center and director of the Butler Opera International Competition. In these roles, Sanikidze plays a pivotal part in shaping the next generation of opera professionals through mentorship, education, and performance.

Sanikidze is a graduate of renowned young artist programs, including the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera and the Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera. She has held key music staff positions in prestigious opera houses both in the U.S. and abroad.

As an official pianist and Chorus Master for Operalia, the World Opera Competition, Dr. Sanikidze has performed on some of the world’s most celebrated stages, including La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Artscape Theatre in South Africa, the Latvian National Opera in Riga, and the National Theatre in Prague, among others. Dr. Sanikidze’s global performances across Europe, Asia, and the Americas have earned her a reputation as a sought-after accompanist, assistant conductor, and collaborator, and as an avid recitalist, she has worked with internationally renowned vocalists, including an honor of performing at the White House for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

In addition to her performance career, Dr. Sanikidze is a respected coach and educator, regularly collaborating with distinguished young artist programs such as Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera Center, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. Since 2015, she has been a faculty member at the Music Academy of the West, where she serves as Head of the Vocal Piano Program at the Lehrer Vocal Institute and as an Audition/Casting Judge.

Dr. Sanikidze is the recipient of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts  from the University of Maryland, College Park and is an alumna of several prestigious programs, including Wolf Trap Opera Center, Merola Opera Program, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Opera Center, Cleveland Art Song Festival, and SongFest.

A headshot of Melissa Wegner

Melissa Wegner

Melissa Wegner is the executive director of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the Laffont Competition. She is responsible for identifying, awarding, and developing the world’s most promising operatic talent. A member of the Met’s Artistic staff since 2011, she hears artists in stage and screening auditions at the Met and is additionally responsible for casting the Met’s New Opera Commissions workshops.

Recognized for her leadership in the industry, Ms. Wegner was an official ambassador for Opera America’s 50th Anniversary in 2020, was one of the 2019 Musical America Top 30 Professionals of the Year, and was a 2019 recipient of the Maria Callas Prize of New York from Melos International. In addition to the District, Regional and National rounds of the Laffont Competition, Ms. Wegner has adjudicated international competitions including the Belvedere Competition (South Africa, Russia, Latvia, Germany), Opera’s Golden Voice (Georgia), the Nicola Martinucci Competition (Italy). US Competitions include the Ades Vocal Competition, the SAI Vocal Competition, the McCammon Voice Competition, and NATSAA Competition.

A faculty member of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Ms. Wegner has also been visiting faculty for Bard College’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program and is a frequent guest speaker and clinician at many of the country’s top conservatories, universities, and summer festivals. She is an active member of Opera America and has presented at the NATS Winter Workshop.

Ms. Wegner holds degrees from Bard College, The Manhattan School of Music, and The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

 

 


 

Official Pianists

A headshot of James Maverick

James Maverick

James Maverick joined The University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music in 2021, where he teaches vocal accompanying and coaches singers. Since 2020, he has been music staff and Assistant Chorus Master at Cincinnati Opera, preparing productions of Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, The Pirates of Penzance, and Il barbiere di Siviglia, among others. Since moving to Texas, he has been a frequent collaborator with Austin Opera, as pianist for productions of Pagliacci, The Manchurian Candidate, and Verdi's Requiem, and as music director for the company's LatinX Residency workshop. He has also prepared workshops of new operas through Cincinnati's Opera Fusion: New Works program and Opera Philadelphia. He was chorus master and keyboardist for productions of Les pêcheurs des perles and Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, where he was also a Resident Artist from 2017-2019. While in Kansas City, he served on the coaching faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, and has previously been a fellow with Wolf Trap Opera, the Merola Opera Program, and the Tanglewood Music Center. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he holds degrees in piano performance, choral conducting, and collaborative piano from Lawrence University and Indiana University.

 

a headshot of Nino Sanikidze

Nino Sanikidze

Prior to joining the prestigious Shepherd School of Music as artist teacher of Opera Studies in the fall of 2023, Georgian pianist Nino Sanikidze spent nearly two decades at Los Angeles Opera—both as a head coach for the renowned Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, and as a principal coach, pianist, and prompter for LAO’s main-stage productions. Highly in demand as a guest coach, pianist, and prompter, Dr. Sanikidze has been engaged for numerous productions at Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain; Teatro di San Carlo in Napoli, Italy; Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman; Teatro Municipal di Santiago, Chile; Bard Summerscape Festival in New York; Wichita Grand Opera, and Cleveland Opera. She regularly visits universities and conservatories for masterclasses and residencies and is currently a guest coach for Houston Grand Opera’s Butler Studio.  Dr. Sanikidze holds a Barbara and Ray Robins Chair in Vocal Piano at the Lehrer Vocal Institute of the Music Academy of the West, where she is also principal coach for the Studio Artists. An alum of the Music Academy, she has been serving on the faculty since 2014. 

Since 2008, Dr. Sanikidze has been an official pianist for the “Operalia” World Opera Competition and in this capacity has performed on some of the world's most celebrated stages. In addition, her notable concert appearances include recitals with tenor Marcelo Álvarez and mezzo-soprano Elina Garanča at the Broad Stage, world-renowned guitarist Ángel Romero at “Palm Springs Life Festival”, mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera on the Canary Islands’ “Zarzuela en el Mundo” recital tour and, most recently, with tenor Joseph Calleja at “Festival del Sole”.

Sanikidze often serves on a judging panel of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and Richard Tucker Music Foundations’ Study and Career Grant Auditions, as well as the Daegu International Opera Awards, Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, Classical Singer Convention, Music Center Spotlight Awards, and Center Stage Opera Competition.
She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. 
 

 


 

Past Winners  
Butler Opera International

2023


Navasard Hakobyan, First Prize, $10,000
Sarah Saturnino, Second Prize, $6,000
Sun-ly Pierce, Third Prize, $4,000
Le Bu, Kerry French McKechnie Prize, $2,500
Luke Sutliff, Rovert DeSimone Prize, $1,500

2022

Magdalena Kuźma, First Prize, $10,000

Anthony Ciaramitaro Second Prize, 6,000

Teresa Perrotta, Third Prize, $4,000

Kyle van Schoonhoven, 
Kerry French McKechnie Prize, $2,500 & Audience Favorite Prize, $1,000

Jongwong Han, Encouragement Prize, $1,500
 

2019 

Courtney Elvira
Seunghee Lee
Carlos Enrique Santelli
Daewon Seo
Crystal White
 

2018

Mariya Kagauskaya

Sangmoon Lee

Lee Hyun Sung