Russians Win Competizione dell'Opera at Bolshoi Theatre

Champion: Baritone Roman Burenko

"Up-and-coming Russian opera singers have scooped a roster of awards, including the coveted first prize of 10,000 euros, at one of the world's leading vocal contests - the Competizione dell’Opera. First prize went to baritone Roman Burdenko with fellow baritone Igor Golovatenko and bass Mikhail Korobeinikov picking up the other two top awards. They ousted finalists flying the flag for South Korea, Mongolia, South Africa and Lithuania. An international competition for singers specializing in Italian opera, the Competizione dell'Opera took place in the Russian capital for the first time in its history. Although traditionally based in the German city of Dresden, this time around the semi- finals and the last round of the competition were held at Moscow's landmark Bolshoi Theatre. Over the last 14 years, the Competizione dell´Opera has been recognized as one of the largest singing competitions worldwide. It is the only competition that uses the great repertoire of Italian opera, from the delicate tones of old music to such giants as Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, and even going further, reaching into the stylistic diversity of the 20th century. The competition originated in Hamburg as 'I Cestelli' Competizione dell´Opera.

Baritone Igor Golovatenko and bass Mikhail Korobeinikov.

However, since 2001, it has established itself in Dresden, though its cultural importance has spread far beyond the boundaries of the city on the River Elbe. With 2011 being widely celebrated as the Italian Year of Culture across Russia, it was suggested that the competition bring its semi-finals and finals to Russia, where operatic traditions have enjoyed a long history. Performing on one of the most beautiful stages of opera – the historic Bolshoi Theatre – the aspiring singers were judged by famous opera and festival directors and singers, as well as important representatives of media and agencies." [Source] Click here to find out more about the competition.

How a "Hot Chick" Got Tenor Geoffrey Knight Into Opera

The tenor with the object of his affection.
(Photo: Patrick Hamilton)

"Nelson aria competition winner Geoffrey Knight has gone full circle after being inspired to get into opera singing by Dame Malvina Major. The Sydney-based tenor took top prize with his delivery of 'E Lucevan le stelle' from Puccini's Tosca and 'Ah la paterna mano' from Verdi's Macbeth at the Nelson School of Music on Saturday night. Eleven vocalists performed during two vocal recitals on Friday at Warwick House. Eight of those were asked to compete in Saturday's aria competition. The vocalists were competing for a prize pool of $11,000, which includes the top prize of $5000 from the Dame Malvina Major Foundation. Mr Knight said being presented with his award by Dame Malvina on Saturday night was significant, as she was the one who inspired him to get into opera. He approached an opera company in 2001 and said: 'Everyone reckons I should be an opera singer so I thought I better check it out.' He was an actor in Christchurch, based at the Court Theatre, and used to sing while making coffees at a cafe nearby. The first opera he saw was Tosca, with Dame Malvina. 'I wasn't really into opera, but there was this really hot chick on the poster so I thought I would go and check it out. I said to her on Saturday night: `Your production of Tosca was the first opera I had ever seen and I absolutely loved it'. That was pretty special.'" [Source]

Sumi Jo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Lara Fabian Close Festival

The trio rocking out "La Melodia" 

Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky was joined by soprano Sumi Jo and Belgian pop star Lara Fabian for the final concert of New Wave 2011, which is an international competition for young singers. The concert, celebrating its 10th anniversary, was recorded live for television on July 31, 2011, at the "Dzintari" concert hall in Jūrmala, Latvia. Conductor Constantine Orbelian led the Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir. There are plans for a new concert program that will begin at the Kremlin in Moscow beginning in October 2012 with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Russian producer/composer Igor Krutoy. For more information about New Wave 2011, click here.

BONUS: Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Lara Fabian in rehearsal for the big closing show of New Wave 2011:

Valentina Naforniţă Wins Cardiff Singer of the World Prize

Valentina Naforniţă accepts her grand prize. Watch her performances in the video clips below:

Some exceptional stand-out performances came in the competition for the Song Prize. The first is American soprano Leah Crocetto who manages marvelously to sing Liszt back-to-back with Gershwin. The second is Ukranian baritone Andrei Bondarenko who went on to win first place. Both are outstanding. Two additional singers in the concert rounds also stood out. One especially worth listening to is Russian mezzo-soprano Olesya Petrova. The other is the wonderful coloratura soprano Hye Jung Lee.

Outstanding Young Singers Emerge in Brussels Competition

Korean soprano Haeran Hong took first place prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition this last weekend in Brussels at La Monnaie with the De Munt Symphony Orchestra under conductor Carlo Rizzi. Her program for the final concert was comprised:
SEMI-FINALS
Mozart "Giunse alfin il momento –
Deh vieni, non tardar" Le Nozze di Figaro
Händel "Se tanto piace al cor" Ariodante
Wolf "Auch kleine Dinge können uns entzücken - Du denkst mit einem Fädchen mich zu fangen"Italienisches Liederbuch
Liszt "Oh! quand je dors"
Schubert "Im Frühling"
Rossini "La fioraia fiorentina"
FINALS
Massenet "Je suis encore tout étourdie" Manon
Mozart "Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben" Zaïde
Mozart "Bester Jüngling" Der Schauspieldirektor
Ravel "Je réchauffe les bons" L’enfant et les Sortilèges
Bellini "Care Compagne, teneri amici – Come per me sereno –
Sovra il sen la man mi posa" La Sonnambula

Russian soprano Elena Galitskaya took Third Place in the competition with a program that included:
SEMI-FINALS
Mozart "Geme la tortorella" La Finta Giardiniera
Bellini "Eccomi in lieta vesta – Oh! Quante volte"
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Fauré "Notre amour"
Wolf "Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen" Liederstrauss: Sieben gedichte aus dem buch der lieder von Heinrich Heine
Tchaikovsky "Otchego eto prezhde ne znala" Yolanta
Donizetti "C’en est donc fait" La Fille du Régiment
FINALS
Händel "E pur così in un giorno –
Piangerò la sorte mia" Giulio Cesare
Mozart "Una donna a quindici anni" Così fan tutte
Rimsky-Korsakov "Vielikii Tsar" The Snow Maiden
Rossini "Una voce poco fà" Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Puccini "O mio babbino caro" Gianni Schicchi
Gounod "Ah, je veux vivre" Roméo et Juliette



To watch a high definition video of the superb singing in the finals, click here and select a name from the pull-down menu. Biographies are after the jump.


HAERAN HONG
After beginning her studies at the Korea National University of Arts, in 2009 Hong Haeran went on to further studies at the Juilliard School under Edith Bers. A finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2010 and in the Francisco Viñas International Competition in 2009, in 2010 she won the Career Bridges Competition in New York. At the Juilliard School she has played the roles of Poppea (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Sœur Constance (Dialogues des Carmélites), Dalinda (Ariodante), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Papagena (Die Zauberflöte). In 2010 she also played the roles of Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Seleuce (Tolomeo) at Glimmerglass Opera in the context of the Young Artists Program. Her stage performances have given her the opportunity to work with conductors such as M. Armiliato, H. Bicket, C. Curnyn, D. Angus, A. Manson, and G.T. Wedow.
School.

ELENA GALITSKAYA
After studying choral conducting in her home town, in 2002 Elena Galitskaya went on to study singing at the Academy of Choral Art in Moscow under Vera Aleksandrova and Svetlana Nesterenko. She has also attended master classes given by B. Guida, R. Bado, D. Zola, and T. Berganza. She was a Laureate of the Académie de Chant Mozartien at the Festival d’Art Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence in 2010; the same year also saw her win a special prize at the Francisco Viñas International Competition. In concert she has appeared in Mozart’s Requiem, in Bach’s St John Passion, in Schubert’s Mass, in Mendelssohn’s Elias, and in Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc, as well as in lieder and in French song in France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. At the Opéra National in Lyons she has already played the roles of Lioussa (Shostakovich’s Moscow, Cheryomushki), Laurie Moss (Copland’s The Tender Land), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Despina (Così fan tutte).

Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition Semi-Finalists Named

The Texas organization has announced twenty-one semi-finalists in their 23rd annual competition that will have its final judging on Saturday, May 14, 2011, in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Some past winner alumni of the competition include Latonia Moore, Jesus Garcia, Clifton Forbis, Takesha Meshé Kizart and Jennifer Black. The judges this year include Daniel Biaggi (General Director of Palm Beach Opera), Andreas "Andy" Melinat (Director of Artistic Administration, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Christina C. Scheppelmann (Director of Artistic Operations, Washington National Opera), Joshua Winograde (Artistic Administrator, Los Angeles Opera and Director of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program) and Jonathn Pell (Artistic Director, The Dallas Opera). In previous years the competition has administered as much as $19,000 in prize money. The event is free to the public. [Source]

The full list of semi-finalists is after the jump.

· Bass-baritone Noel Bouley, age 27

· Mezzo-soprano Wendy Boyce, age 30

· Baritone Adam Cannedy, age 26

· Soprano Dee Donasco, age 28

· Soprano Katrina Galka, age 21

· Baritone Juan Galvin, age 27

· Baritone Norman Garrett, age 29

· Soprano Julie-Anne Hamula, age 27

· Counter-tenor John Holiday, Jr., age 26

· Mezzo-soprano Laura Krumm, age 23

· Baritone Ye Young Lee, age 27

· Soprano Julie Marx, age 23

· Soprano Kristen Mata, age 28

· Soprano Audra Methvin, age 24

· Baritone Najabulo Mthinkhulu, age 29

· Tenor Scott Quinn, age 30

· Tenor Ian José Ramirez, age 23

· Baritone Brent Turner, age 27

· Soprano Suzanne Vinnik, age 24

· Soprano Maren Weinberger, age 21

· Soprano Angela Yoon, age 26