Melissa Wegner is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the Laffont Competition. She is responsible for identifying, awarding, and developing the world’s most promising operatic talent. A member of the Met’s Artistic staff since 2011, she hears artists in stage and screening auditions at the Met and is additionally responsible for casting the Met’s New Opera Commissions workshops. She was the casting consultant for the recent opera Intimate Apparel at Lincoln Center Theater.

In addition to the District, Regional and National rounds of the Laffont Competition, Ms. Wegner has adjudicated international competitions including the Belvedere Competition (South Africa, Russia, Latvia), Opera’s Golden Voice (Georgia), the Nicola Martinucci Competition (Italy). US Competitions include the Ades Vocal Competition, the SAI Vocal Competition, the McCammon Voice Competition, and NATSAA Competition.

 A faculty member of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Ms. Wegner has also been visiting faculty for Bard College’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program and is a frequent guest speaker at academic institutions, professional companies, and digital media outlets. She has presented at the NATS Winter Workshop and is an active member of Opera America.

 Recognized for her leadership in the industry, Ms. Wegner was an official ambassador for Opera America’s 50th Anniversary in 2020, was one of the 2019 Musical America Top 30 Professionals of the Year, and was a 2019 recipient of the Maria Callas Prize of New York from Melos International.

Ms. Wegner is a member of Families of FANA WNY, which supports the orphanage in Colombia from which she was adopted. She has served as a Trustee of the Foundation Board of SUNY Potsdam, an Advisory Board Member of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, and is on the team of advisors for Turn The Spotlight, a mentoring organization for women, BIPOC, and other equity-seeking groups. Ms. Wegner holds degrees from Bard College, The Manhattan School of Music, and The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.