Has it really been nine years? Well, apparently it has, because the winners of the ninth annual F. Paul Driscoll Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence (or, as they are colloquially known, the “Opera News Awards”) have been revealed. Congratulations to director Patrice Chéreau, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, bass-baritone James Morris and soprano Nina Stemme (not pictured)!  

The honorees will be honored on Sunday, April 13 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. All the winners–and (it goes without saying) a host, a veritable host of the city’s cultural, civic, and social luminaries–will be present at the gala awards dinner, which will feature celebrity presenters speaking about the awardees and introducing video performance clips. (Photo: Ken Howard)