Registration deadline

3/15/2026.
Light Opera of New Jersey (LONJ) will host its third annual Stars of Tomorrow, a vocal competition for New Jersey High School students. The competition will consist of a qualifying round based on videos submitted online, followed by the live finals event on April 19th at 2:00 PM at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 140 S. Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ. Finalists are judged by a panel of highly qualified experts with professional background in both Operetta/Opera and Musical Theater. The grand prize is $1000 and an appearance in an upcoming LONJ Main Stage production, $500 for second place and $250 for third place as determined by the judges; plus $100 for the winner of the audience favorite award. The top three winners will also receive a full scholarship to participate in the inaugural year of the new Light Opera Youth Ensemble 2026, including workshops with professional coaches and vocal teachers, and various performance opportunities.

Finalists will be announced in early April.

Contestants must be not less than 13 years old, and not more than 18 years old on April 19, 2026.  They must either be legal residents of New Jersey or attending high school in the state of New Jersey.

For the video round, contestants should submit two videos of five minutes or less each, contrasting in nature and drawn from the Operatic, Broadway Theater or Art Song literature.  Both videos may be of the same type, or you may choose to record two different types.  The videos should be stored on youtube.com as unlisted and viewable by anyone with the link. They should be unedited single takes that are not electronically enhanced in any way.

There is a $25 registration fee. If the fee would prevent you from entering, contact the contest registrar at contest@lonj.org to discuss other options.

Registration open at THIS LINK.

2026 Finalist Judges

Lauran Corson: Soprano, Voice Teacher, and Co-Founder Light Opera of New Jersey

Karen Driscoll: Soprano and Head of Artistic Operations/Opera, Montclair State University

Maya Sypert: Mezzo-Soprano and Voice Professor, University of Hawaii

Susan Speidel: Actor, Director, Arts Educator, and newly appointed Shari Loe Youth in Arts Director of Light Opera of New Jersey

Jason Tramm: Internationally acclaimed Conductor and Executive Director, Light Opera of New Jersey