Opera legend Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, conductor Riccardo Muti and Welsh singer Bryn Terfel were among a number of stars honoured for their musical achievements at a ceremony in New York on Sunday (17Apr11).
Famous faces including Michael Douglas and director Francis Ford Coppola turned out to honour the star guests at the Opera News Awards at the city's famous Plaza hotel.
Kanawa, Muti and Terfel were joined by fellow honourees including German tenor Jonas Kaufmann and American soprano Patricia Racette.
The Godfather moviemaker Coppola took to the stage to present a trophy to Muti, who made a rare public appearance following his February (11) surgery to fit a pacemaker after collapsing during a rehearsal with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Illinois.
Muti, who suffered a broken jaw in the incident, joked about his injuries on stage, telling the crowd, "I look like a relative of The Godfather."