Butler Opera International Competition

Baritone Minki Hong recently graduated with an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Darrell Babidge. At Juilliard, he performed the title role in Falstaff and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. He made his European debut as Ford in Falstaff at the Verbier Festival and participated in a masterclass program at the Bayreuth Festival. He appeared in El Canto de las Manos with Gustavo Dudamel at David Geffen Hall and joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as the Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette. For the26-27 season, Hong joins Palm Beach Opera as a Laufer Young Artist, covering Amonasro in Aida, Dr Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Tonio in Pagliacci. He will make his Italian debut at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as Sciarrone in Tosca later this season. His honors include awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, Washington International Competition, Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Pittsburgh Festival Opera Competition, and Opera Mississippi John Alexander National Vocal Competition.

Bass baritone Shyheim Selvan Hinnant of Woodbridge, VA, has been praised for his “rich and powerful voice” (Rob Levy, Review STL) along with his “ringing, solid bass baritone” (James Sohre, Opera Today). In 2024, Shyheim joined Des Moines Metro Opera as an apprentice artist, where he created the role of Clarence in Damien Geter’s American Apollo. As a 2025 resident artist at The Glimmerglass Festival, he debuted the role of Preacher Man in Derek Bermel’s The House on Mango Street and performed solo voice in The Rake’s Progress. Hinnant appeared as a Richard Gaddes Festival Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis this summer as the Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance, where he displays his “gift for physical comedy” (Steve Callahan, BroadwayWorld). Hinnant holds a Master of Musical Arts from Yale University, a M.M. from UCLA, and a B.A. in music from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also completed studies through the Conservatorio di Milano’s Erasmus program. He is the 2026 recipient of the Grace Keagy Award for Outstanding Vocal Achievement from the Lotte Lenya Competition. Beyond opera, Hinnant writes and releases alternative R&B music under the alias shy lennox.

Christina Grohowski joins the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera this fall where she will cover the roles of Shepherdess in Jenůfa and a Maid in Manon. As a resident artist at Berkshire Opera Festival, she recently made role debuts as Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Fatmé (Zémire et Azor). Grohowski participated in her first Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition earlier this year, winning the Kansas City district and Midwest region rounds and was named a national semi-finalist. As a 25-26 resident artist at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Grohowski performed Tisbe (LaCenerentola) and Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly). A graduate of Yale School of Music, her notable roles with Yale Opera include Martha (Iolanta), Clarina (La cambiale di matrimonio), and Mother Goose (The Rake’s Progress). In 2024, she made her debut at The Santa Fe Opera as an apprentice singer, performing Noble Orphan 3 (Der Rosenkavalier) and covering Flora (La traviata).

Sunghoon Han of Seoul, South Korea, is a recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. In 2025–26, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Zauberflöte, covered roles in Andrea Chénier and Eugene Onegin and performed in the Met’s Summer Parks Recital Series. Concert engagements included Beethoven’s ninth symphony with the Lexington Philharmonic, Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Canton Symphony, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. At The Santa Fe Opera, he performed the Second Armed Man and covered Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and Garibaldo in Rodelinda. Previous roles include Don Alfonso, Colline (cover), Dr Bartolo, Marco, Prince Gremin, and Nardo. Han won the 2024 MetropolitanOpera Laffont Competition Indiana district and placed third in the Central region, with additional awards from Premiere Opera Foundation, Gerda Lissner, and MIOpera. An alumnus of Korea National Opera Studio and a Renée Fleming Artist Fellow at Aspen, he holds degrees from Yonsei University and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

Bass baritone Christopher Gray’s recent credits include, Schaunard and Colline (La Bohème), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Sodbuster (Mazzoli’s Proving Up), Masetto (Don Giovanni), and the title role in Aleko. He has appeared as soloist in Bach’s Magnificat in D Major with the Denton Bach Society and performed Leporello’s Catalogue Aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the University of North Texas (UNT) concerto winners concert. Gray joined the Aspen Music Festival and School as a studio artist in 2025, performing Samana I in the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Siddhartha, She, and Customs Sergeant in La Bohème. In the summer of 2026, he was a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera, performing roles in Tosca and Eugene Onegin. He recently received first prize at the Young Patronesses of Opera/Florida Grand Opera Voice Competition for the junior division. He won second place at the Midwest region in the 2026 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition where he was the winner of the Tulsa district. He won first prize in the Madame Rose Palmai-Tenser Voice Scholarship Competition by Mobile Opera, and was a winner of the 2025 UNT College of Music William Gammon Henry Concerto Competition.

Uruguayan-Australian soprano Natasha Isabella Gesto is a member of the Junges Ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden and recently participated in the 2025 International Meistersinger Akademie under Edith Wiens and Tobias Truniger. Gesto earned her M.M. in vocal arts at The Juilliard School of Music under Darrell Babidge, and her B.M. and Graduate Diploma at the Sydney Conservatorium. She made her debut at The Santa Fe Opera singing the role of Diedre in Gregory Spears’ The Righteous (2024). Recent roles include The Governess (The Turn of the Screw), Nedda (Pagliacci), Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), and covering Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte).Her concert repertoire includes Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Poulenc’s Gloria, andMozart’s Requiem. Gesto placed second in the 2025 Premiere Opera Competition (virtual). At the Semperoper, she performed Erste Dame, Annina, Kate Pinkerton and Alma (Humanoid). This season she performs Musetta (La Bohème) and Lenio (The Greek Passion). She has been invited to the final rounds of the 2026 Neue Stimmen Competition in October.

Julia Ernst, soprano, was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and is a current student of Gerald Martin Moore at Yale University- School of Music. In the upcoming 2026-2027 season, Julia will debut the role of Fiordiligi in Yale Opera’s production of Cosi Fan Tutte. Julia will also perform as the soprano soloist in Beethoven 9 with the Yale Philharmonic Orchestra. Julia will also sing in the Fidelio Quartet with the Yale Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. In the 2025-2026 season, Julia sang the role of Mimi in Yale Opera’s production of La Boheme, under the baton of Metropolitan Opera conductor J. David Jackson. In May of 2026, Julia sang the role of The Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. This summer, Julia attended the Ravinia Steans Institute of Music as a Vocal Fellow, fueling her love of performing and curating art song repertoire. In September of 2025, Julia received an Encouragement Award and was one of 10 finalists in the Butler Opera International Voice Competition in Austin, Texas. In 2024/2025, she won the Connecticut District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and won Third Place in the New England Region of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

Tenor Misael Corralejo-Garcia first gained national recognition after receiving the Youth Revelation Award at the Linus LernerInternational Singing Competition in 2023. A two-time winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (Mexico district, 2024 and 2025), he subsequently earned the encouragement award at the regional competition in Denver, and the audience prize in Mexico. In 2026, he was awarded second place and the audience prize at Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition. Distinctions include the Alain Nonat Young Lyric ambassadors award and special prizes at the International Maria Callas Competition in São Paolo, Brazil. His operatic appearances include Lauro (Paso delNorte), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Marco Antonio (Cleopatra) and Bastien (Bastien und Bastienne). Upcoming engagements feature Fenton in Falstaff with México Ópera Studio. In summer 2026, he was invited to Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in France. Beginning with the 26–27 season, he will join the Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio. A scholarship recipient of México Ópera Studio, Corralejo-Garcia studied at the Escuela Superior de Música of INBAL.

Soprano Jade Xijin Chen is currently pursuing her D.M.A. in opera performance at The University of Texas at Austin, where she studies with Leah Crocetto. A recipient of the Butler School of Music scholarship award, she will sing Giulietta in the upcoming production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Recent roles include Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Susanna (Le nozze diFigaro), and the title role in Cendrillon. This summer she joined Music Academy of the West and Nashville Bel Canto Foundation, where she performed scenes as Juliette, Gretel, Violetta, and Fiordiligi. Chen earned her M.M. from the New England Conservatory, studying with Carole Haber and receiving the dean’s scholarship. During her time there, she performed scenes as Juliette, Suzel, Norina, and Nannetta. She was awarded the encouragement award at the 2024Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Florida district and was named winner of the 2025 Laffont Competition, San Diego district. She was recently awarded best vocalist at the Sidney M. Wright Endowed Presidential Competition.

Mezzo soprano Gabrielle Beteag recently created the role of Iras in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra during San Francisco Opera’s centennial season. Recent performances with SFO include First Maidservant in Elektra, Mother in The Handmaid’s Tale, and Teacher in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Beteag recently performed Mother/Witch (Hansel and Gretel) with Opera Roanoke, Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites) with Wolf Trap Opera, and Gertrude Stein (After Life) with Music of Remembrance. Beteag has collaborated with ensembles including the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet, and National Orchestral Institute Festival, where she sang Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony. Named a grand finals winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2020, Beteag’s other accolades include prizes from the Paris Opera Competition (finalist, 2025), the Gerda Lissner Foundation (grant winner, 2025),the Giulio Gari Foundation (third place, 2024), Operalia (semifinalist,2023), the Cooper-Bing Competition (first place, 2023), and the Shreveport Opera Mary Jacobs Singer of the Year Competition (second place 2020).