Lawrence Brownlee | 2001 Winner
The Ohio native took his undergraduate degree from Anderson University, obtained his master’s from Indiana University, and participated in the Seattle Young Artists program. At age 28, he was an audience favorite at the 2001 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where he sang Donizetti and Rossini. That season he made his debut at La Scala as Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbière di Siviglia. This success was soon followed by performances in works of like composers at regional American opera houses, as well as various houses in Italy and Switzerland. Seattle Opera snapped him up for lead roles over the course of several seasons, while Brownlee continues to perform on the international stage as well as in concert with such orchestras as the Detroit Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic.