Finalists Revealed for the 2018 International Opera Awards

The International Opera Awards are pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Awards. These were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph: "It's gratifying to see how the International Opera Awards just keep growing. With a record number of nominations to consider, and our biggest and most international jury yet, I'm delighted to say that our exciting shortlists-covering six continents and around 30 countries-reflect the truly cosmopolitan nature of the art form. Despite the challenges faced by opera companies almost everywhere, opera is vibrantly alive."

The 2018 International Opera Awards, hosted by BBC Radio 3 presenter Petroc Trelawny for the third year running, will take place on Monday 9 April at the London Coliseum. The ceremony will be directed by Ella Marchment. As in previous years the evening will feature live performances from internationally renowned singers accompanied by an orchestra. Past performances have been given by Anna Bonitatibus, Lawrence Brownlee, Bryan Hymel, Ermonela Jaho, Aleksandra Kurzak and Stuart Skelton. Once again BBC Radio 3 is partnered with the International Opera Awards and will broadcast highlights from the awards ceremony in a special 90-minute programme on Sunday 15 April at 7.30pm.

The finalists below have been selected for their achievements over the 2017 calendar year. In addition to the 18 categories listed, the winners of the awards for Philanthropist, Lifetime Achievement, and Leadership will be announced at a later date. All categories except for the Readers' Award (the only vote open to the general public) are decided on by the jury. Category sponsors at this year's Awards include the Good Governance Institute, The Vineyard, the Royal Opera House Muscat and Charles Heidsieck champagne. The Awards are supported by Nexus Group.

The International Opera Awards were created by opera lover and philanthropist Harry Hyman. Since the first awards ceremony in 2013 the evening has not only celebrated established stars, but also supported the next generation of talent. The Awards raise money for the Opera Awards Foundation, a charity that provides bursaries to aspiring operatic talent around the world.

http://www.operaawards.org/

Readers' Award sponsored by Opera Magazine voting page: operaawards.org/vote/ (deadline Friday 9 March)

Finalists

CHORUS

Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
Komische Oper, Berlin
La Fenice, Venice
MusicAeterna, Perm
San Francisco Opera
Teatro Real, Madrid

CONDUCTOR

Marc Albrecht
Daniele Gatti
Vladimir Jurowski
Fabio Luisi
Kazushi Ono
Simone Young

DESIGNER

Charles Edwards
Christof Hetzer
Stuart Nunn
Dieter Richter
Paul Steinberg
Anna Viebrock

DIRECTOR

David Bösch
David Hermann
Tobias Kratzer
David McVicar
Lydia Steier
Mariusz Treli?ski

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

Chicago Opera Theater
Florida Grand Opera
Garsington Opera, Buckinghamshire
La Monnaie, Brussels
Opera Holland Park, London
Polish National Opera

FEMALE SINGER

Malin Byström
Carmen Giannattasio
Barbara Hannigan
Hui He
Ermonela Jaho
Eva-Maria Westbroek

FESTIVAL

Bayreuth Festival
Festival Verdi Parma
Glyndebourne
Opera Forward, Amsterdam
Opera Philadelphia O17
Santa Fe Opera

MALE SINGER

Piotr Becza?a
Günther Groissböck
Peter Mattei
Eric Owens
Simone Piazzola
Michael Spyres

NEW PRODUCTION

Berg: Wozzeck, d. William Kentridge (Salzburg Festival)
Britten: Billy Budd, d. Deborah Warner (Teatro Real)
Britten: Death in Venice, d. Demis Volpi (Oper Stuttgart)
Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, d. Claus Guth (Glyndebourne)
Verdi: Stiffelio, d. Graham Vick (Teatro Regio di Parma)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, d. Barrie Kosky (Bayreuth Festival)

NEWCOMER

Gianmaria Aliverta (director)
Jordan de Souza (conductor)
David Hertzberg (composer)
Barbora Horáková Joly (director)
Dane Lam (conductor)
Giedre Slekyte (conductor)

OPERA COMPANY

Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
La Fenice, Venice
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Oper Graz
Opera North, Leeds
Teatro Real, Madrid

OPERA ORCHESTRA

Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
Bayreuth Festival
Deutsche Oper, Berlin
Lyric Opera of Chicago
MusicAeterna, Perm
Teatro alla Scala, Milan

READERS' AWARD

Cecilia Bartoli
Joyce DiDonato
Bryan Hymel
Ambrogio Maestri
Karita Mattila
René Pape
Luca Pisaroni
Pretty Yende

RECORDING (COMPLETE OPERA)

Andriessen: Theatre of the World (Nonesuch)
Berlioz: Les Troyens (Erato)
Lully: Armide (Aparté)
Martin?: The Greek Passion (Oehms)
Méhul: Uthal (Palazzetto Bru Zane)
Wagner: Lohengrin (Deutsche Grammophon)

RECORDING (SOLO RECITAL)

Sophie Bevan: Perfido! (Signum Classics)
Joyce El-Khoury: Echo & Michael Spyres: Espoir (Opera Rara)
Juan Diego Flórez: Mozart Arias (Sony)
Véronique Gens: Visions (Alpha)
Jonas Kaufmann: L'Opéra (Sony)
Camilla Tilling: Gluck & Mozart Arias (BIS)

REDISCOVERED WORK

Blomdahl: Aniara (Malmö Opera)
Ginastera: Bomarzo (Teatro Real)
Hindemith: Die Harmonie der Welt (Landestheater Linz)
Isouard: Cendrillon (Manhattan School of Music)
Keiser: Oktavia (Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik)
Krenek: Der Diktator; Schwergewicht, oder Die Ehre der Nation; Das geheime Königreich (Oper Frankfurt)

WORLD PREMIERE

Mason Bates: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Santa Fe Opera)
Chaya Czernowin: Infinite Now (Opera Vlaanderen)
Brett Dean: Hamlet (Glyndebourne)
Avner Dorman: Wahnfried (Badisches Staatstheater)
Sebastian Fagerlund: Autumn Sonata (Finnish National Opera)
Julian Grant: The Nefarious, Immoral yet Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr Burke and Mr Hare (Boston Lyric Opera)
Arnulf Herrmann: Der Mieter (Oper Frankfurt)
Tang Jianping: 170 Days in Nanking (Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts)

YOUNG SINGER

Aigul Akhmetshina
Liparit Avetisyan
Gordon Bintner
Amartuvshin Enkhbat
Lauren Fagan
Wallis Giunta
Anush Hovhannisyan
Isabella Lee
Federica Lombardi
Natalya Romaniw

2018 Jury:

• Michael Ajzenstadt Artistic Administrator, Israeli Opera
• John Allison Editor, Opera; classical music critic, The Daily Telegraph
• Nicolas Blanmont Chief classical music critic, La Libre Belgique; correspondent for Opera (Belgium, France and Switzerland); opera critic for RTBF Musiq3
• Aviel Cahn Intendant, Opera Vlaanderen; General Director designate of Le Grand Théâtre de Genève
• Hugh Canning Chief classical music critic, The Sunday Times; member of Opera's editorial board
• James Clutton Director of Opera, Opera Holland Park
• Waldemar D?browski General Manager of Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera
• Neil Fisher Deputy Arts Editor, The Times
• Lindy Hume Opera director; Artistic Director, Opera Queensland; Artistic Director, Ten Days on the Island (Tasmania's state-wide arts festival)
• Joanna C. Lee Correspondent for Opera (China)
• George Loomis Correspondent for Opera (USA), MusicalAmerica.com, The Financial Times
• Max Loppert Correspondent for Opera (Italy)
• Fiona Maddocks Chief Classical Music Critic; The Observer; member of Opera's editorial board
• Njabulo Madlala Baritone; Artistic and Executive Director, Voices of South Africa
• Anne Midgette Chief classical music critic, The Washington Post
• Barbara Minghetti Artistic Director, Macerata Opera Festival
• Evans Mirageas Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera; Vice President of Artistic Planning at The Atlanta Symphony
• Annilese Miskimmon Opera director; Director of Opera of Den Norske Opera and Ballet
• Nicholas Payne Director, Opera Europa
• Wiebke Roloff Contributor, Opernwelt
• Christina Scheppelmann Artistic Director General, Gran Teatre del Liceu
• Sebastian F. Schwarz Founder and jury chair of the Glyndebourne Cup
• Ken Smith Critic, The Financial Times; correspondent for Opera (China); commentator, RTHK Radio 4
• Victoria Stapells Correspondent for Opera (Spain); contributor, Opera Canada
• Birgitta Svendén CEO & Artistic Director, Royal Swedish Opera
• James C. Taylor Correspondent for Opera (USA)
• Lyndon Terracini Artistic Director of Opera Australia
• Thomas Yaksic Consultant for Theatre Projects (Chile)

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Since it launched in 1946, the Third Programme/ BBC Radio 3 has been a bold + in the cultural world. It is one of the world's foremost presenters, creators, commissioners and curators across classical, folk, world, jazz and contemporary music as well as drama, philosophy and ideas. The station is also the most significant commissioner of new and contemporary music in the UK, with 35 new works commissioned annually and broadcasts over 600 concerts a year, including live broadcasts from the greatest classical music festival in the world (BBC Proms). Radio 3's In Concert programme alone reaches the equivalent of 250 packed concert halls a week, and the BBC Orchestras and Choirs give around 400 concerts a year in over 60 UK locations. The station has always nurtured extraordinary artistic talents, provided a platform for important scientific and political debates/announcements, and broadcast ground-breaking experimental drama - always while delivering its core aim of connecting audiences with pioneering music and culture.

Described by the Daily Telegraph as 'the bible of the industry', Opera magazine has been the world's leading commentator on the lyric stage since 1950. Providing coverage of operatic events through a mixture of features, reviews (live performances, recordings, books) and analysis, plus monthly listings of events worldwide and its famous 'We hear that' section, the magazine has an unrivalled network of international correspondents, covering performances from around the globe.

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