Soprano Leah Hawkins has been named the 2024 recipient of the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award, which includes a $50,000 prize to support rising Met singers. Hawkins, an alumna of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, has performed notable roles such as Louise/Betty in “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” and is set for upcoming performances in the Met’s 2024 Summer Recital Series.
Why it matters:
- A career on the rise: The award highlights Hawkins’s exceptional talent and rising career, providing significant financial support for her continued professional development.
- Great company: Past recipients of the Beverly Sills Artist Award include mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in 2007, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard in 2011, tenor Michael Fabiano in 2014, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton in 2017, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green in 2022 and again in 2023.
- Sills’s legacy honored: This recognition aligns with the legacy of Beverly Sills, emphasizing the Met’s commitment to nurturing young artists and ensuring the future of opera through dedicated support for emerging talent.
