Soprano Laurel Boyd, 26, of Laguna Beach...

Soprano Laurel Boyd, 26, of Laguna Beach took first place from a field of 13 singers at the Orange County district Metropolitan Opera auditions Saturday at Chapman College in Orange. Second prize went to 32-year-old bass Mel Whitehead of Anaheim. Soprano Jennifer Smith, 26, of Tustin came in third, and soprano Carole Sihilling, 32, of Laguna Niguel and mezzo-soprano Carter Scott, 27, of Irvine received special Encouragement Awards. Boyd, Whitehead and Smith move on to the western regional finals, to be held Nov. 8 and 9 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.