The 40 finalists of this edition (selected amongst 500 applications received), arrived yesterday in Moscow, enthusiastic, flown and selected by Operalia, to join the competition and show off their technique and talent, in front of a panel of 13 experts, amongst whom there are Artistic Directors and General Managers of prestigious and important opera houses in the world. It is indeed an unique occasion, beyond the competition itself, that creates job opportunities for all the 40 candidates.
Yesterday they started warming up and training. By tonight the experts will arrive and tomorrow the auditions will officially begin. Plácido Domingo is arriving tomorrow morning, after having sung tonight in Beirut with the young soprano Virginia Tola, who won Operalia in 2000. Plácido Domingo doesn’t vote, however listens carefully to each singer and mentors all of them, by giving advices and attending every single audition. He will also conduct the Gala concert of the finals, on July 24th.
Who will be 2011 winners? Who will the next one, to be consecrated as a star and sing with José Cura Joyce DiDonato, Giuseppe Filianoti, Erwin Schrott, Nina Stemme, Inva Mula, Rolando Villazón, Hui He? Just to mention a few names amongst all the winners of the previous editions, who became famous after Operalia, an experience in their life and career, which remains unforgettable and fundamental.
In attachment you can find the complete list of candidates.
The youngest are two singers coming from Ukraina, both 23 years old: Lena Belkina, mezzosoprano, e Oleksandr Chuvpylo, baritone; after them Jongmin Park, bass from South Korea and the Moldavian soprano Olga Busuioc, both 24 years old. All the others, with whom we will become familiar day by day, are under 30, the age limit to participate.
These are 40 candidates:
1 bass-baritone
4 basses
8 tenors
9 baritones
4 mezzo-sopranos
14 sopranos
Only few come from Europe: 1 from Spain Isaac Galan, baritone (30), 1 from UK Jonathan Sells baritone (29), 1 from France Julien Veronese bass-baritone (28), 1 from Germany Johanna Winkel soprano (29), 1 from Poland, Adam Palka, bass (27) and from Turkey, Umut Tingur, bass (29); only 3 Americans: Rosy Anoush, soprano (27), René Barbera, tenor (27), Erica Brookhyser, mezzo-soprano (30).
It is very surprising that there are no Italians, or Austrians, or Mexicans, or representatives of other countries. It did not happen because of a precise intention.
It is just a coincidence, because the three experts, each of them in a different part of the world, have listened and selected the voices, only by listening and evaluating anonymous CDs. In fact, the experts cannot have any personal information, related to the age, nationality, curriculum, appearance of the candidates. They do not have neither a picture.
This year’s Money Prizes will include:
• Two First Prizes* US$30,000
• Two Second Prizes* US$20,000
• Two Third Prizes* US$10,000
• Two Birgit Nilsson Prizes (Wagner-Strauss repertoire)* US$15,000
• The Pepita Embil Domingo Zarzuela Prize US$10,000
• The Don Plácido Domingo, Sr., Zarzuela Prize US$10,000
• Two Audience Prizes* Watches offered by Rolex
• The Culturarte Prize US$10,000
• Ex aequo prizes
* One each for the best female and best male singer.
In terms of prizes, and not only for those, it is indeed the most important competition in the world.
Surname First Name Voice Age Country
ANOUSH Rosy soprano 27 USA/Armenia
ANTUNEZ María soprano 26 Uruguay
ARREY Javier baritone 29 Chile
BADALYAN Khachatur tenor 29 Russia
BARBERA René tenor 27 USA
BELKINA Lena mezzo-soprano 23 Ukraine
BROOKHYSER Erica mezzo-soprano 30 USA
BUSUIOC Olga soprano 24 Moldova
CARLIYAN Michael tenor 25 Armenia
CHOTABAEV Medet tenor 29 Kazakhstan
CHUVPYLO Oleksandr baritone 23 Ukraine
DE BAGHY Irina mezzo-soprano 29 Canada/France
DUPRE Juan Pablo baritone 30 Chile
DVALI Teona soprano 26 Georgia
EZAZI Nazanin soprano 30 Iran
GALAN Isaac baritone 30 Spain
GORODETSKI Yuri tenor 28 Belarus
HONG Haeran soprano 29 South Korea
KOROTICH Viktor baritone 30 Ukraine
KRAYNIKOVA Anna soprano 26 Russia
KUNGUROV Evgeny baritone 28 Russia
LAHYANI Maya mezzo-soprano 29 Israel
LAVROV Alexey baritone 25 Russia
LEE Jaesig tenor 30 South Korea
MAKSUTOV Suren tenor 30 Ukraine
MARKOVA Ekaterina soprano 25 Russia
NARDOTO Lys soprano 29 Brazil
PALKA Adam bass 27 Poland
PARK Jongmin bass 24 South Korea
POLYAKOV Sergey tenor 27 Russia
PUDOVA Olga soprano 29 Russia
RADO Fernando Javier bass 25 Argentina
RYTOVA Natalia soprano 27 Russia
SELLS Jonathan baritone 29 United Kingdom
SHUSHAKOV Konstantin baritone 27 Russia
TINGUR Umut bass 29 Turkey
VERONESE Julien bass-baritone 28 France
WINKEL Johanna soprano 29 Germany
YEGHIYAN Narine soprano 30 Armenia
YENDE Pretty soprano 26 South Africa
ZHAI Sarah soprano 30 China
Francesca Zardini
Press and Publicity Director of Operalia
Mobile phone in Russia + 7 915 263 4012
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