One of the most prestigious opera competitions comes to a dramatic conclusion this month in New York and Arlington Heights native Ryan Wolfe is among the semi-finalists.
Ryan Wolfe (Photos by Daniel Welch)
Wolfe is one of 20 semi-finalists — and one of only three baritones — in the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. He was among thousands that originally auditioned and after advancing through the early rounds, Wolfe will sing Sunday before the judges on stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. If he advances to the finals, he will sing March 16 on stage with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Taking the stage at the Met is a long way from his start, performing in musicals at Saint Viator High School, where he graduated in 2014. He then studied at DePaul, studying under voice coach Jeff Ray, where he eventually went from pursuing a music education degree to narrowing his focus — and majoring in opera.
Ryan Wolf, left, with his high school choral director, Kristina Sandrock, and Jeff Ray
He hasn’t looked back and now is drawing national attention. The Laffont Competition discovers promising young opera singers and assists in the development of their careers. While the Met originated the program in 1954, it was named in recent years after longtime supporters Eric and Dominique Laffont.
Yet its focus remains the same: to help launch the careers of emerging, young opera singers. Consequently, its contestants are limited to between the ages of 20 and 30. Wolfe is 28 and certainly fits the bill as an emerging star.
The competition requires contestants to sing four operatic arias — in two or more languages of varying styles.
Wolfe draws from a full professional repertoire already. For the last two years, Wolfe has performed as a member of the Young Artist Program at the Los Angeles Opera. He also has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony to name a few. 
This season Wolfe made his company debut with Wolf Trap Opera in Washington D.C. as Lt. Gordon in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night. He returned to the LA Opera to perform in Madama Butterfly followed this month by performing as Count Paris in Roméo et Juliette.
“I did this competition for the first time in 2015 and every year since then, so I’ve been locked in on this goal for a long time,” Wolfe says. “To have the chance to sing on stage at the Met is dream come true.
“Obviously I want to advance to the finals and sing with the Met orchestra, but if you were to tell me I’d have this chance back in 2015, I’d be elated and very proud,” he adds. “I’m just going to keep doing my thing and see what happens!”
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