The Final Round of the 63rd Tenor Viñas International Singing Competition took place at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with 16 finalists from 712 participants across 64 countries. The First Grand Prize went to Vladyslav Buialskyi. Yuliia Zasimova and Vlad Tlusch won the second and third prizes. Elionor Martínez won the Oratorio-Lied Prize.
This afternoon, the Final Round of the 63rd Tenor Viñas Competition took place at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. A total of 16 singers, selected from 712 participants from 64 countries, reached the finals after passing the competition’s various stages, delivering a final of high artistic level.
Official prizes
Vladyslav Buialskyi, Ukrainian bass-baritone, was awarded the First Grand Prize, offered by Exea Impact and the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation, with a €30,000 prize and a contract for upcoming seasons at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
The Second Prize, €15,000, offered by the Friends of the Tenor Viñas Competition Group, went to Yuliia Zasimova, Ukrainian soprano.
The Third Prize, €11,000, “Maria Esperança Salvans Piera,” offered by Mrs. Cristina Bertran Salvans, was awarded to Vlad Tlusch, Ukrainian baritone.
The Fourth Prize, €8,000, offered by Mr. Joaquim Zamacois and Mrs. Patricia Malet, the Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona, and Villasa S.L., went to South Korean baritone Felix Park.
The Fifth Prize, €7,000, offered by the Friends of the Tenor Viñas Competition Group, went to Karla Pineda, Costa Rican mezzo-soprano.
The Sixth Prize, €6,000, offered by the Liceu Circle, was awarded to the Catalan Elionor Martínez.
The Barcelona-born Elionor Martínez also won the Oratorio-Lied Prize, valued at €10,000, offered by Andbank Private Bankers and the Francesc Viñas Foundation. This prize is enhanced through collaboration with the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation and the Schubertíada, and includes a recital at their respective festivals. With this award, the singer becomes the first winner of this category, which has now been established as a separate discipline in the competition, after previously being part of the general category.
Extraordinary prizes
The Joyce DiDonato Extraordinary Prize, presented by the Houston Grand Opera and sponsored by Carolyn Levy, was awarded to Karla Pineda. The prize, valued at $17,600, was selected by Colin Michael Brush, director of the Butler Studio at Houston Grand Opera.
The public vote recognized Karla Pineda as the best female voice and Felix Park as the best male voice. Both performers receive this honorary audience recognition.
A total of 28 extraordinary prizes were awarded, designed to boost the professional development and training of young talents. Most of these include artistic contracts, scholarships, training residencies, and professional opportunities at institutions and festivals such as Teatro Real, Òpera de Sabadell, the Liceistes Association 4th and 5th Floor, the Castell de Peralada Festival, among other European theaters, festivals, and lyrical centers.
Special prizes
The special prizes honor outstanding performances of a specific composer or musical style. In this edition, the winners were:
Best Mozart Performer, €3,000, offered by Villasa S.L.: Elionor Martínez
Best Verdi Performer, €3,000, offered by Catalonia Hotels: Felix Park
Best Zarzuela Performer, offered by the Teatro de la Zarzuela, consisting of a contract for upcoming seasons: Vlad Tlushch
On Sunday the 18th, the 63rd edition concludes with the Winners’ Concert
On Sunday, at 6:00 PM, the Gran Teatre del Liceu will host the traditional Winners’ Concert, marking the finale of the 63rd Tenor Viñas Competition. The singers will be accompanied by the Liceu Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Julio García Vico.
The event will be presented by journalist and host Ana Boadas.
The concert can be heard live on Catalunya Música from 6:00 PM and on Radio Clásica from 8:00 PM, and streamed live here.
Additionally, as part of the Competition’s program, on Saturday, January 17 at 6:30 PM, “An Afternoon with...” will take place, a talk series that has long been established as a space for relaxed conversations with prominent personalities from the opera world. This year, the guest will be Italian soprano Luciana Serra, in a session hosted by Pol Avinyó, deputy to the artistic director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. The event can also be followed live here.