Press releases

MINSK, 16 November (BelTA) - Artists from 19 countries will participate in the fourth edition of the Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition, BelTA learned from the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus, the organizer of the event.

The organizers received 231 applications for participation in the contest of vocalists at the Bolshoi Theater that will run from 14 till 20 December. The applications came from Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, the United States, South Africa, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, France, Germany, Latvia, Moldova, Italy, Estonia, Ukraine.

The Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition is held in three rounds: the first and the second rounds with piano accompaniment, and the third round with orchestral accompaniment. The third round (final) will see the competitors sing a lead role in a scene from an opera of classical or modern repertoire.

The winner of the grand prize will receive $10,000 in prize money; the winner of the first prize will get $8,000. The winner of the second prize will collect $6,000, and $4,000 will be given to the winner of third prize.

The jury panel of the Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition will be led by Vladimir Gridyushko, General Director of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus.

The jury will include the world's biggest opera theaters, impresarios and world-renowned musicians: Nicholas Payne, Director of Opera Europa, London, the United Kingdom/Brussels, Belgium; John Allison, editor of Opera magazine, London, the United Kingdom; Plamen Cartaloff, Academician, member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Director of Sofia National Opera and Ballet, Bulgaria; Christoph Meyer, Professor, General Director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Dusseldorf Duisburg, Honorary Professor at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule, Honorary Doctor of the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Romania, Germany; Gianluca Marciano, chief guest conductor of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, Artistic Director of the Al Bustan Festival in Beirut; Andrei Petrov, General Director of ArtMaks agency, Germany.

For the first time the jury of the Minsk singing competition will include Robert Korner, Director of Artistic Production of the Opera National de Lyon, France; Erki Pehk, Artistic Director of the Parnu International Opera Music Festival PromFest, Estonia and Dmitry Vdovin, Artistic Director of the Young Artists Opera Program of the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow, Russia.