"Ms. von Stade’s career has taken her to the stages of the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. She began at the top, receiving a contract from Sir Rudolf Bing during the Metropolitan Opera auditions. Since her debut in 1970, she has performed nearly all her signature roles with the company. The Metropolitan Opera celebrated her milestone anniversaries with new productions of The Merry Widow in 2000 and Pelléas et Mélisande in 1995. She has appeared with every leading American opera company, including San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera. Her career in Europe has been equally distinguished with appearances in new productions at Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera." (https://imgartists.com/roster/frederica-von-stade/)

"Composer Libby Larsen (b. 1950, Wilmington, Delaware) is one of America’s most performed living composers. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2024), she has composed over 500 works including orchestra, opera, vocal and chamber music, symphonic winds, and band. Her work is widely recorded. An advocate for the music and musicians of our time, in 1973 Larsen co-founded the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composer’s Forum. Grammy Award winner and former holder of the Papamarkou Chair at John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress, Larsen has also held residencies with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony. From 2014-2020 as, Artistic Director of the John Duffy Institute for New Opera, she guided a faculty of practicing professional artists in nurturing and production of new opera by American Composers." (https://libbylarsen.com/press)

NOA is honored to recognize both artists for their remarkable contributions to the field and looks forward to welcoming them to the Twin Cities in January.

And there is more to come. Additional honorees for NOA’s Lift Every Voice Legacy Award recipients will be announced soon.

Registration for the 2027 NOA National Conference is now open. Explore the conference schedule and start planning your time in the Twin Cities.

View the conference schedule.
Register for the National Conference.

(von Stade, Photo: © 2005 Robert Millard 626-792-3237 www.MillardPhotos.com (©) Copyright 2005 Robert Millard)

(Larsen, Photo: libbylarsen.com/press)