The prestigious Richard Tucker Award often goes to high-flying sopranos, like Nadine Sierra and Renée Fleming, or to acrobatic tenors like Michael Fabiano and Lawrence Brownlee.

But this year, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation is honoring a bass-baritone, Christian Van Horn. He is just the third bass-baritone to be awarded in the prize’s 40-year history. The award comes with a cash prize of $50,000 and a celebratory performance at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 21.

At 39, Mr. Van Horn is significantly older than past winners. Ms. Sierra, who won last year, is currently 29. But there’s a good reason for this discrepancy: “It takes a long time for a low voice like his to mature, and it’s been a privilege to watch and hear him grow,” Barry Tucker, the president of the foundation (and the son of the award’s namesake), said in a statement.

Mr. Van Horn has performed with opera companies across the globe, including the Met Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, the Bavarian State Opera and the Netherlands Opera. He won first place at the 2003 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.