The final concert from Verona on Sunday, soon to be available for repeated (and free) viewing on Medici.tv, was an exciting event. Among sopranos, Hae Ji Chang and Aida Garifullina impressed with their technique and precision (not to mention winning looks, which we will not dwell on), but Kathryn Lewek got my vote with more guts and heart.
The obviously Italian audience obviously favored Italian singers, giving Simone Piazzolla an ovation not entirely deserved. "Our own" (Merola/Adler) bass-baritone Ao Li (still "of China") was in prime form with Aleko's aria and took first prize. Benjamin Bliss has a gorgeous lyric tenor, but the voice is too thin for a large house.
Prizes:
Two first prizes, $30,000 — soprano Aida Garifullina and bass-baritone Ao Li
Two second prizes, $20,000 — soprano Julia Fuchs and baritone Simone Piazzolla (plus Audience Prize of Rolex)
Two third prizes, $10,000 — soprano Kathryn Lewek (plus Audience Prize of Rolex) and tenor Zach Borichevsky
Two Birgit Nilsson Prizes, $15,000 — soprano Tracy Cox and contralto Claudia Huckle
Two Zarzuela Prizes, $10,000 — soprano Hae Ji Chang and tenor Benjamin Bliss
Prize from CulturArte de Puerto Rico, $10,000 — tenor Vladimir Dvitruk
Other finalists were sopranos Mirella Bunoaica and Irina Churilova, tenor Diego Silva.
Some of the Operalia winners in the past 20 years who have gone on to great careers: Inva Mula, José Cura, John Osborn, Joyce di Donato, Ludovic Tézier, Rolando Villazón, and Stéphane Degout.