Gayletha Nichols
2002 Finals Judge

Gayletha Nichols joined the artistic staff of the Metropolitan Opera last season as Executive Director of the National Council Auditions. This season, in addition to her position with the National Council, she has also taken on the directorship of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She brings with her two decades of experience as a singer, teacher and career advisor.

From 1992-2000, she was Director of Houston Opera Studio, the young artist development program at Houston Grand Opera, where she created and individualized the training both for singers and pianists, supervising their work and advising them on career opportunities.

Ms. Nichols auditions hundreds of singers across North America every year and in her travels addresses many universities, conservatories, and festivals on developing the next generation of opera singers. She is a frequent adjudicator in national and international competitions.

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