Many of opera's greatest stars lit up David Geffen Hall during the annual Richard Tucker Gala at Lincoln Center on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. 

The gala, which is in honor of the great American Tenor Richard Tucker, presents the Richard Tucker Award of $50,000 to a single artist who has "reached a high level of artistic accomplishment and who, in the opinion of the conferral panel, is on the threshold of a major international career."

This year's recipient of the award was mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton who recently wowed audiences in "Anna Bolena" as Giovana Seymour. Barton got four opportunities to showcase her brilliant talent and certainly was up to the task in every selection. For her opening, Barton impressed with her weight low range in "Acerba volutta" from Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur."

Her second selection was a soprano-mezzo duet from Ponchielli's "La Gioconda." Sung alongside the powerhouse soprano Christine Goerke (more on her later), this was the most potent duet on the evening with the two women trading guttural blows, their voices at their most violently powerful until they came together at the very end, closing as equals.

Barton came back late in the program with glorious interpretation of Dido's final scene in "Les Troyens," her voice here a more mellow color. The heft and emphatic qualities of the early selections gave way to a more poignant lyricism, one that drew the audience in from one phrase to the next.

To close the night, Barton joined in on the heavily truncated "Triumphal Scene" from Verdi's "Aida," her voice ringing through the massive orchestra and New York Choral Society.

Joining Barton in the gala was a cornucopia of other major opera singers and some past Richard Tucker Award winners. Goerke took home the award back in 2001 and is coming off a fantastic run as "Turandot." From the opening note of the duet with Barton, it was clear that Goerke could shake a listener to the core with the raw emotion of every note she sings. But what really drove the audience wild was her feverish "O Don Fatale," filled with all extremes of emotion -- the fury of hating her beauty to the torture of betraying her queen to the strength and determination of saving Carlo. All of this was embodied in what for many was arguably the highlight of the evening. It came down to one particular phrase that really drove home how Goerke could wield her voice like a weapon, capable of churning the emotions inside out with one turn of a phrase. That moment comes at the climax of the first section of the aria where Eboli's voice rings out in an anguished C flat on "Oh mia belta, Ah! Ti maledico, o mia belta!" On the high note, Goerke extended it, and at the very end of the note she added a powerful accent that drove home the violent nature of the character.

Isabel Leonard, who won the award in 2013, was one of the major turning points of the evening, turning what had been a rather straightforward evening of great singing and enriching it with her vibrant and electric stage presence. Throughout the "Nacqui all'affanno" and "Non piu mesta" from Rossini's "La Cenerentola," the singing-actress looked like she was having a blast on stage, her body swaying to the fiendish rapid-fire coloratura that she threw off without any sign of difficulty. She was having so much fun that it was impossible not to feel that same level of energy. It was a tad disappointing that that was Leonard's only chance on stage, especially when all the other singers (with one other exception) got at least two pieces; some even got three or four.

The other singer to get one piece was Lawrence Brownlee, who also sang Rossini. The tenor took on "Terra amica" from "Zelmira" and astounded audiences with what seemed like an endless supply of high notes. You could hear the gasps in the audience every time he released a high note and the rousing applause he received at the end of the evening was among the most euphoric. Why he and Leonard did not sing together (or simply more), especially considering the compatibility of their repertoire, is the only letdown of the evening.

Renee Fleming, who won the Richard Tucker award back in 1990, sang a wide range of repertoire. She opened with a luscious "Io son l'umile ancella" from "Adriana Lecouvreur," singing the aria with great breadth and sense of freedom. She luxuriated on every phrase with so much delicacy that it was impossible not to be drawn in.

She also sang the duet from Gounod's "Faust" alongside Polish tenor Piotr Beczala. The two were in terrific form, carrying the drama of the scene from the bliss of love to its danger and then eventually the sense of consummation. Beczala also sang a fortuitous "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot," but his work in the Gounod demonstrated why he is so ideal for the French repertoire. His voice takes to the gentle nature of the French lines, soaking in every vowel with brilliant tone.

Angela Gheorghiu, who is currently singing "Tosca" at the Met, was a late addition to the program, her name not included in the original program for the concert (she was listed however in the additional leaflet included in the program). The singer delivered an aria from Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" and one of her standby's from Catalani's "La Wally." Gheorgiu's singing is truly virtuosic but not in the flashy definition of the word. Instead, the singer blends her tone in a way that few other singers can, creating a consistency in all the registers and doing away with any transition from one to the other. This creates a polished feel in all of the phrasing, immersing the listener in the movement of musical line.

Stephen Costello, the 2009 recipient of the Richard Tucker Award, recently admitted to almost losing his voice a year ago due to personal issues. It seems that that is no longer the case as the singer delivered an emotional account of Federico's Lament in "L'Arlesiana." Taken at a slow tempo, the tenor created a rather mournful atmosphere, his voice rising and falling with the ebb and flow of the music. At the painful climax, Costello interpolated a high note that encapsulated the tragedy of the piece, laying bear a sea of torment and trouble. He also sang beautifully alongside Nadine Sierra in a duet from Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette," the two cuddling gently onstage.

Sierra showcased her sweet soprano voice and its versatility in the "Romeo et Juliette" and in a duet from "Lucia di Lammermoor." Her singing was ardent and energetic during the "Verano a te sull'aure," and audiences could hear Sierra's firm confidence in her upper range throughout. Every phrase featured the smooth legato and elegance of a singer on the verge of a big breakout.

Joining her in that duet was international star tenor Andrea Bocelli. In many ways the gala was also a showcase for the tenor as audience members were greeted to free Bocelli CD's at their chairs. The tenor sang well throughout the evening.

In the pit was maestro Eugene Kohn who brought forth some truly mesmerizing colors from the orchestra. Watching him was a joy in and of itself, the conductor so enlivened by his music that his active movement on the podium demanded attention from the maestro. Of course, his presence was so potent that even moments of high tension (when it was clear that singer and conductor were not completely in sync) were accentuated as well. However, these moments added to the drama and the fact that the conductor always managed to keep things together smoothly only added to the satisfaction of the performance. The opening and ending selections (from "Pagliacci" and "Aida") were solid ways to bring audiences in and out of the show. One could gripe a bit about the odd truncations for "Aida," but the performance of the music was so exquisite and overpowering (in an incredible way) that that is a minor quibble.

Going to the Richard Tucker gala is a major event that creates expectations of the highest artistic order. And year in and year out, the performance lives up to its billing and consistently surpasses it. This year was no different with one great artist following another in an exquisite evening of singing and music making.