One SFCM graduate just met with some big success!

Alissa Goretsky (‘24) was just named one of five winners of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, considered one of the most prestigious awards for emerging opera singers.

“I am so grateful for this experience and to be honored in such a way,” Goretsky said. “It’s the biggest honor I can have and I am just incredibly happy!”

Goretsky triumphed in the grand finals after a season-long audition process that began with more than 1,400 applicants. Each winner receives a $20,000 cash prize and the prestige, exposure, and networking opportunities that come with winning a renowned competition that has launched the careers of many of opera’s most well-known stars including Anthony Roth Costanzo, Emily D'Angelo, Michael Fabiano, and Renée Fleming.

Alissa Goretsky inside the Met. Photo by Natalie Powers.

“This was my first time in New York City and I can’t imagine a better experience than what I had!” Goretsky said, “It was both a very exciting and nerve-wracking 10 days for the semifinals and finals but all went great.”

The singers each performed two arias on the Met stage, accompanied by the Met Orchestra and conducted by Maestro Karen Kamensek. “It was honestly so amazing! I am constantly on cloud nine! It was such a rush singing with Maestro Kamensek and the Met Orchestra.” Goretsky added.

César Ulloa and Alissa Goretsky.

At SFCM Goretsky studied with teacher César Ulloa starting from when she was 17 years old. Ulloa also traveled to New York to support her during the final rounds. “I owe everything to César Ulloa,” Goretsky said. “César is the best teacher and mentor that I have. He built my instrument and my mind. He has helped me every step of the way no matter what road I take and I am grateful for him in every sense.” 

Ulloa was thrilled to be there when she competed. “When she finished her first aria Morrò, maprima in grazia’ from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera and I heard the reaction from the audience after she finished, tears ran down my face because I knew that she would be a top contender in the competivtion and that she had a very big chance that her dream would become a reality that afternoon,” Ulloa said. 

It has been a busy and exciting time for Goretsky, who in 2024 joined Houston Grand Opera as one of its Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio Artists. Her dedication to her work and talent is something Ulloa noted when he first started working with her as a teenager. “I knew then that she wanted this more than anything else and that she was going to do the work that was needed for her to realize her dreams,” he added. “To this day, her work ethic and total dedication to the art of singing is truly commendable.” 

Goretsky was one of the earliest graduates of the Conservatory's Opera Artistic Diploma program.  a two-year, highly selective, and individualized non-degree program designed for the artist on the path to a professional performance career. The program has already seen several successes, including Hope Nelson (‘24) joining Theater Basel in Switzerland and current student Chea Kang performing on the San Francisco Opera stage. Goretsky also attended SFCM for her undergraduate and master’s degrees. 

Goretsky is equally excited to see where her journey takes her next and is grateful to those who have helped her get this far: “I am thankful for my team at Houston Grand Opera, my parents, and, of course, César, for supporting me through this incredible nine-month long process!” 

Learn more about studying Voice at SFCM.