2025 Portland Opera Guild Young Voices Competition Winners: THIRD PRIZE Makayah Bernal, Soprano, 20; AUDIENCE FAVORITE Ori Marcu, Mezzo Soprano, 25; and, SECOND PRIZE McKayla Sherman, Soprano, 24. All three winners performed for the Guild’s Spring Luncheon & Annual Meeting at the Waverley Country Club in Portland.

The Portland Opera Guild (POG) is the longest tenured organization of advocacy for the artform of opera in the State of Oregon. As part of its mission, Young Voices Northwest Competition was created in 2025 to nurture the next generation of professional opera singer talent and positively influence the embedded cultural capital of the region. The 2026 Competition Finalists will perform on Sunday, October 18, 2026, 1-5 pm in the Portland State Unviersity Lincoln Recital Hall and compete for $5,000 in prize money.

Milestone dates are:
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, September 14, 2026
- NOTIFICATION to APPLICANTS for FINALISTS: Friday, September 18, 2026

In addition to the prize associated with each category, the winners will perform at the Guild’s Spring 2027 Luncheon & Annual Meeting.

MORE INFORMATION on the 2026 Competition (including how to enter) is located HERE.