The competition will award €121,000 in prizes, 15 contracts, and 16 scholarships. For the first time, the Torras Foundation Extraordinary Prize, in honor of Joyce DiDonato, will be granted, offering $25,000 and access to the 2025-2026 Eleanor McCollum Competition semifinal.
The 62nd edition of the Tenor Viñas competition arrives. The competition officially begins on Saturday, January 18, at the Saló de Cent in the Barcelona City Hall, with the opening speech by Ms. Maria Serrat i Martín, Director of the Liceu Conservatory of Music.
Next, the traditional annual recital will be performed by soprano Maria Guleghina, accompanied by pianist Aram Avetyan.
After the eliminatory rounds at the Liceu Conservatory of Music, the competition will conclude at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with the Final Round (January 24) and the Winners' Concert (January 26).
New stage design and format
The most notable change will be the new stage design created for the Final Round and the Winners' Concert.
Additionally, as a novelty, there will be one presenter guiding the Final Round and a second one for the Winners' Concert. The verdict reading this year will take place in the main hall of the Theatre.
The jury
The Tenor Viñas 2025 competition will bring together an exceptional jury with artistic directors from the most prestigious opera houses in the world, including Víctor García de Gomar (Gran Teatre del Liceu), Alessandro Galoppini (Teatro alla Scala), Peter Mario Katona (Royal Opera House), and Brian Speck (Metropolitan Opera), among others. Distinguished figures such as mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink and soprano Maria Guleghina will also participate.
Out of the initial 276 participants, 65 singers have been selected to compete in the rounds at the Liceu Conservatory from January 19 to 22. The Final Round will take place on Friday, January 24, at 3 p.m. at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, with a special recital by soprano Olga Kulchynska while the jury deliberates. For the first time, the verdict will be announced in the main hall of the theatre.
On Saturday 25, at 12 p.m., the Liceu Foyer will host an open dialogue between Maria Guleghina and Víctor García de Gomar. Finally, on Sunday 26, the winners will perform a Final Concert with orchestra, where the prizes will also be awarded.
The prizes
Regarding the prizes, the competition will distribute 15 contracts and 16 study scholarships, as well as the opportunity to perform at the Winners' Concert at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and in a concert with orchestra at the Teatro Real in Madrid. A total of 121,000 euros (77,000€ in official prizes, 16,000€ in special prizes, and 28,000€ in extraordinary prizes, plus 16 study scholarships).
The official prizes are divided as follows:
- First Grand Prize Tenor Viñas of 30,000€, offered by the Puig Foundation and the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation. A contract offered by the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation for the upcoming seasons.
Commemorative gold-plated silver medal. - Second Prize of 15,000€, offered by the Friends of the Tenor Viñas Competition Group. Commemorative silver medal.
- Third Prize "Maria Esperança Salvans Piera" of 11,000€, offered by Mrs. Cristina Bertran Salvans. Commemorative bronze medal.
- Fourth Prize of 8,000€, offered by the Cercle del Liceu, Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona, and in memoriam of Javier Villavecchia and Marta Obregón, offered by Villasa S.L.
- Fifth Prize of 7,000€, offered by the Friends of the Tenor Viñas Competition Group.
- Sixth Prize of 6,000€, offered by Mr. Joaquim Zamacois and Mrs. Patricia Malet, and by the Friends of the Tenor Viñas Competition Group.
- 21 Extraordinary Prizes.
- 5 Special Prizes in various categories.
The special and extraordinary prizes are made possible thanks to the collaboration of the competition with musical entities and recognized personalities such as the Teatro Real in Madrid, The European Opera Center, tenor Plácido Domingo, the 4th and 5th floor Liceistes Association, the Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Ferrer-Salat Music Foundation, the Castell de Peralada Festival, the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation, the Sabadell Opera Friends Association, among others.
Torras Foundation Extraordinary Award
For the first time, the Torras Foundation Extraordinary Award will be granted, offered by the Houston Grand Opera in honor of Joyce DiDonato and sponsored by the Torras Foundation. This award will be given to the most promising young singer. It highlights the Houston Grand Opera's commitment to training the next generation of opera talents through the Butler Studio program, from which the renowned alumna Joyce DiDonato emerged. The awarded singer will be selected by Mr. Colin Brush, representative of the Houston Grand Opera, who will be present in Barcelona, and will receive $25,000, as well as an automatic invitation to compete in the 2025-2026 semifinal round of the Eleanor McCollum Competition at the Houston Grand Opera. This award is open to any singer in the competition and is not restricted to official prizewinners.
The competition in numbers
This year, the Tenor Viñas Competition has reached the highest number of registrants: 645 singers from 61 countries. Of the cities where the preliminary rounds were held, Barcelona has registered the most participants, with 276 contestants, followed by Berlin with 108 and New York with 63.
