Ópera de Tenerife has revealed the 13 finalists of their 5th International Singing Competition, who will be competing today, 4 July, at 6:00 pm at Auditorio de Tenerife. Each singer will perform an opera aria chosen by the jury or a zarzuela aria if they are competing for the María Orán Award. Maestro Dario Tondelli is their accompanying pianist.

The following are competing in the opera category: Swiss soprano Larissa Alice Wissel with “A vos jeux... Pȃle et blonde” (Hamlet, Thomas); Romanian soprano Olena Sloia with “Glitter and be gay” (Candide, Bernstein); Italian soprano Marta Mari with “L’altra notte in fondo al mare” (Mefistofele, Boito); Mexican bass Alejandro López with “Ella giammai m’amò” (Don Carlo, Verdi); Romanian soprano Alexandra Grigoraş with “Depuis le jour” (Louise, Charpentier); Korean baritone Insik Choi with “O Carlo, ascolta... Io morrò ma lieto in core” (Don Carlo, Verdi). And Spanish sopranos Cecilia Rodríguez with “Tornami a vagheggiar” (Alcina, Händel); Carmen Mateo with “Eccomi in lieta vesta... Oh, quante volte” (I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Bellini); Laura del Río with “È strano... Ah, forse è lui... Sempre libera” (The traviata, Verdi).

Also, Romanian soprano Olena Sloia with “Iris de amor” (Marina, Arrieta); and Spanish sopranos Cecilia Rodríguez, Elvira Padrino, and Laura del Río who are singing “Salida de Cecilia” (Cecilia Valdés, Roig); “De España vengo” (El niño judío, Luna); and “Canción del ruiseñor” (Doña Francisquita, Vives), respectively, are competing for the María Orán Award.

The winners will get one of the three prizes of 5,000, 3,000 and 1,000 Euros respectively in addition to the María Orán Award, which consists of performing a role in one of the Ópera de Tenerife zarzuela season.  There is an honorary Extraordinary Audience Award, voted by the audience attending the final. Also, but not in competition, the different artistic managers present at the event will offer roles in their season productions according to the singers’ suitability to their requirements.

As usual, the award-winners will give a concert at Sala de Cámara tomorrow, 5 July at 7:30 pm.  Tickets for this concert are available through the normal sale channels of Auditorio de Tenerife: at the box office from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, Monday to Saturday, on www.auditoriodetenerife.com or calling 902 317 327.

The competition has the collaboration of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) which, through the Programme for the Internationalization of Spanish Culture (PICE), in the Visitors category, provides a prestigious international jury whose members have a solid artistic and technical reputation. Although it is chaired by As.li.co vice-president Giovanna Lomazzi, on this occasion, Cristina Ferrari, artistic director of the Fondazione Teatri di Piacenza, will be taking her place.  

Other members of the jury include casting manager and musical director assistant of Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Alessandro di Gloria; the general manager of Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Fulvio Macciardi; the stage manager and artistic production manager of Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Pablo Maritano; the artistic programming manager of  Teatro Regio di Parma, Cristiano Sandri; the artistic manager of the Young Artists Ópera del Teatro Bolshoi, Dmitry Vdovin;  the member of the Society for the promotion of Chinese Traditional Culture, Qing Xu; the general and artistic director of Ópera de Oviedo, Javier Menéndez; intendant of Theater und Philharmonie Essen, Hein Mulders; and the artistic director of Gran Teatre del Liceu de Barcelona, Christina Scheppelmann.