With its star-studded concert and post-show dinner, the annual Richard Tucker Gala is one for the New York glitterati. Not only is it a chance to hear this year’s Richard Tucker Award winner, the all-star line-up is also an opportunity to take the temperature of current American operatic talent with a little help from an international ring-in or two. To judge by the offering on display at Carnegie Hall last night, the patient is hale and hearty.Winner of the 2019 Richard Tucker Award, Lisette Oropesa. Photo © Dario Acosta

The Richard Tucker Music Foundation was set up in 1975 following the premature demise of Tucker himself. It dishes out generous grants to support and advance of the careers of American opera singers, bringing opera into the community and heightening the appreciation of the art form by offering free performances in the New York Metropolitan area and supporting music education. The top prize – the annual Richard Tucker Award – has been won in the past by such luminaries as Renée Fleming, Jennifer Larmore, Joyce DiDonato and Nadine Sierra, while previous gala concerts have...