The purpose of The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is to:

1. To discover exceptional young talent.

2. To provide a venue for young opera singers from all over the country and at all different levels of experience to be heard by a representative of the Metropolitan Opera and to assist those with the greatest potential in their development.

3. To identify new talent for the Metropolitan Opera and for possible participants in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Many current and past participants in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program have successfully competed in the National Council Auditions, as have a high percentage of the principal artists on the Metropolitan Opera roster. On average, every season there are over 100 singers on the Met roster that have gone through the auditions program. The auditions are a nationwide competition beginning at the National Council's district level and culminating in the National Council Grand Finals Concert at The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Applicants many choose to enter any district audition regardless as to whether they are a resident of the area. District winners must compete in the region finals of the region in which they were district winners. The winners from the sixteen regions represent their region at the National Semi-Finals in New York, where they will present two arias on the Metropolitan Opera stage accompanied by piano. Approximately ten of these singers are selected as National Finalists, and compete in the National Grand Finals Concert, which is held exactly one week later. The National Grand Finalists perform two arias each on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera accompanied by The MET Orchestra in the form of a concert. Up to five equal winners will be chosen and awarded $15,000 each, and the remaining Finalists will receive $5,000 each. National Semi-Finalists not advancing to the Finals each receive $1,500. The Grand Finals Concert is broadcast nationwide on The Metropolitan Opera Radio Network.