On one of the most storied stages in the world, where legends have stood and careers are forever changed, a 23-year-old soprano from Vestavia Hills is preparing to take her place among opera’s most promising new voices.
Elizabeth Hanje, a Vestavia Hills native and graduate of Vestavia Hills High School, in late March was named one of just six award winners in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, rising above more than 1,400 applicants nationwide. The grand finals took place March 22 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
It is a milestone that places Hanje squarely in one of classical music’s most important talent pipelines: an annual competition widely regarded as a gateway to major international opera careers…