The Des Moines Metro Opera has been selected as a finalist in the Festival of the Year category for the 2024 International Opera Awards. Regarded as the Oscars of the opera world, the International Opera Awards celebrate excellence in opera and raise funds for the Opera Awards Foundation, according to a news release. The Des Moines Metro Opera joins a list of finalists that includes some of the most prestigious international opera festivals: Buxton International Festival (England), Garsington Opera (England), Savonlinna Opera Festival (Finland), Smetana Opera Cycle Ostrava (Czech Republic) and Tiroler Festspiele Erl (Austria). Des Moines Metro Opera is the only U.S. festival to be nominated this year. Additionally, two principal artists from Des Moines Metro Opera 2024 Festival Season have been selected as finalists in the rising star category: baritone Justin Austin (Thomas Eugene McKeller, “American Apollo”) and tenor Duke Kim (Count Almaviva, “The Barber of Seville”). The awards ceremony will be held Oct. 2 at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Germany.