A bel canto soprano, a lyric tenor, and a Wagnerian chanteuse walk onto the Cullen stage.

Photo by Jacob Power Photography

Julien Benhamou, Khori Dastoor, first place winner Scarlett Jones, Patrick Summers, and Sasha Cooke.

It’s not a joke. No punchline here.

It’s Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias, where the drama isn’t just onstage, it’s in the agonizing question: How do you judge between wildly different operatic voices?

The 38th edition of the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers, chaired by Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth IV, brought seven stellar finalists to the Wortham Theater Center, plucked from 18 international semi-finalists, all eyeing spots in the revered Butler Studio. Maestro Patrick Summers returned to conduct the HGO Orchestra, bringing extra lavishness to every high note and held breath.

The judges — HGO’s Khori Dastoor, opera star and Shepherd School of Music alum Sasha Cooke, and Julien Benhamou, director of production for the Théâtre des Champs Élysées and casting consultant for the Metropolitan Opera and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence — had the impossible task of ranking vocal apples to oranges. Audience members, from industry insiders to aria aficionados and talent managers, whispered, scribbled, and guessed. We all texted, voted, and gossiped, wondering if our ears were aligned with the judges.

For the record, this reporter’s predictions were dead wrong.

The final verdict? Scarlett Jones, soprano, took first and a $25,000 prize. Tenor Misael Corralejo snagged second and the Audience Choice Award, walking away with a combined $20,000. Mezzo Lauren Randolph claimed third and $10,000. Viktoriia Shamanska earned the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award and $2,000, and each non-placing finalist walked away with $3,500 and roaring applause.

Following the mainstage showdown, 470 guests swanned into the Grand Foyer for a seated dinner by City Kitchen, served under swoon-worthy décor from The Events Company. With $815,000 raised — that’s a record worthy of a standing o — the evening was about those high Cs and the high impact.

Toi toi toi to the rising stars of opera were Donna and Ken Barrow, Astley Blair and Vivianna Jolie, Jill Schaar and George Caflisch, Janet and John Carrig, Theresa and Peter Chang, Anne and Albert Chao, Cheryl and Mike Clancy, Molly and Jim Crownover, Mindy and Josh Davidson, Valerie and Tracy Dieterich, Michelle Huth, Alexandra Ikeguchi, Teresa and José Ivo, Blair and Barbara Labatt, Stephanie and Rich Langenstein, Stephanie Larsen, Jackie Macha and Brian Faulkner, Frank Marchetti, Stan Marek, Diane Marcinek, Barbara and Pat McCelvey, Kelly and Cody Nicholson, Gloria Portela, Jill and Allyn Risley, David Satterfield and Elizabeth Fritschle, Keith Scott, Chuu Jen and Paul Sheng, Dian and Harlan Stai, Aaron, Sarah, Emerson and Tate Stai, Diana Strassman and Jeff Smisek, Vitalii Tarasiuk, Apurva Thekdi, Sylvia Barnes and Jim Trimble, Marcia and Alfredo Vilas, and Ilana Walder-Biesanz and Ellen Liu.