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2024 Contestants

Step into the promising world of opera excellence with our unique lineup of talented contestants.

Meet the Winners!

Semi-finalists

Alina Otiakovskaia Russian Federation Soprano
Anna Erokhina Ukraine Mezzo
ByeongMin Gil Korea, Republic of Bass Baritone
Chelsea Marilyn Zurflüh Switzerland Soprano
Duangamorn Fu Thailand Soprano
Elia Cohen-Weissert France Soprano
Emily Rocha Canada Soprano
Hae Kang Korea, Republic of Baritone
Haesu Kim Korea, Republic of Tenor
Hovhannes Karapetyan Armenia Bass
Iana Aivazian Armenia Soprano
Jan Wouters Belgium Countertenor
Laura Richter Germany Soprano
Louise Guenter Belgium Soprano
Margarita Zhigalkina Russian Federation Soprano
Maria Constança Melo Portugal Soprano
Oleh Lebedyev Ukraine Baritone
Sarah Raiss Belgium Soprano
Sílvia Sequeira Portugal Soprano
Teresa Sales Rebordão Portugal Mezzo

First Round Contestants

Alina Otiakovskaia Russian Federation Soprano
Anna Erokhina Ukraine Mezzo
ByeongMin Gil Korea, Republic of Bass Baritone
Chelsea Marilyn Zurflüh Switzerland Soprano
Cláudia Anjos Portugal Soprano
Dominika Isabell Marková Slovakia Mezzo
Duangamorn Fu Thailand Soprano
Elia Cohen-Weissert France Soprano
Emily Rocha Canada Soprano
Hae Kang Korea, Republic of Baritone
Haesu Kim Korea, Republic of Tenor
Hovhannes Karapetyan Armenia Bass
Hyunju Ha Korea, Republic of Soprano
Iana Aivazian Armenia Soprano
Ivan Ozerov Russian Federation Baritone
Jan Wouters Belgium Countertenor
Karmen Kõrnas Estonia Soprano
Kelsey Lauritano United States Mezzo
Laura Richter Germany Soprano
Louise Guenter Belgium Soprano
Mar Morán Spain Soprano
Margarita Zhigalkina Russian Federation Soprano
Maria Constança Melo Portugal Soprano
Monique Galvão United States Mezzo
Oleh Lebedyev Ukraine Baritone
Sarah Raiss Belgium Soprano
Sílvia Sequeira Portugal Soprano
Susana Vieira Portugal Soprano
Teresa Sales Rebordão Portugal Mezzo
Vlada Shchavinska Germany Soprano

All Selected Contestants

Aleksandra Sennikova Russian Federation Soprano
Alina Otiakovskaia Russian Federation Soprano
Anna Erokhina Ukraine Mezzo
Anna Lytvytska Austria Soprano
Bozhidar Bozhkilov Bulgaria Bass
ByeongMin Gil Korea, Republic of Bass Baritone
Chelsea Marilyn Zurflüh Switzerland Soprano
Cláudia Anjos Portugal Soprano
Cláudia Ribas de Sousa Silva Portugal Mezzo
Daniel Gwon Korea, Republic of Baritone
Dominika Isabell Marková Slovakia Mezzo
Duangamorn Fu Thailand Soprano
Dylan Glenn Germany Baritone
Elia Cohen-Weissert France Soprano
Emily Rocha Canada Soprano
Hae Kang Korea, Republic of Baritone
Haesu Kim Korea, Republic of Tenor
Hovhannes Karapetyan Armenia Bass
Hyunju Ha Korea, Republic of Soprano
Iana Aivazian Armenia Soprano
Ivan Ozerov Russian Federation Baritone
Jacob Scharfman United States Baritone
Jan Wouters Belgium Countertenor
Juana Shtrepi Italy Soprano
Karmen Kõrnas Estonia Soprano
Kate Wood United States Soprano
Kelsey Lauritano United States Mezzo
Laura Richter Germany Soprano
Louise Guenter Belgium Soprano
Lucy Altus United States Mezzo
Mar Morán Spain Soprano
Margarita Zhigalkina Russian Federation Soprano
Maria Constança Melo Portugal Soprano
Marie-Juliette Ghazarian France Mezzo
Monique Galvão United States Mezzo
Oksana Pynchuk Ukraine Soprano
Oleh Lebedyev Ukraine Baritone
Oscar Ruben Ore Alarcon Peru Tenor
Sarah Raiss Belgium Soprano
Semyon Antakov Russian Federation Baritone
Sílvia Sequeira Portugal Soprano
Siying Wei China Mezzo
Stanislav Zubar Ukraine Baritone
Susana Vieira Portugal Soprano
Susanne Burgess United Kingdom Soprano
Teresa Sales Rebordão Portugal Mezzo
Vlada Shchavinska Germany Soprano

Newsletter
Cascais opera

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Over the past three decades, primarily in London, Portugal and Amsterdam, Dr Jorge Balça
has developed a strong portfolio of work and a unique combination of skillsets – as a stage
director (of theatre, opera, and hybrid forms), a teacher and workshop leader, a presentation
skills, acting and creativity coach, and practice-based researcher. His work in all these
domains is distinguished by his commitment to and skill in making fantasy and invention
emerge from precise knowledge and training – and by his ability to inspire a similar alchemy
in his collaborators.

Classically trained as an actor and countertenor, he studied theatre directing in London and
Moscow, specialising in Shakespeare, techniques of adaptation, Meyerhold and commedia
dell’arte. Jorge also holds a PhD exploring the dramatic training of opera performers.
With a love for site-specific projects and collaborative forms, and an equal flair for comedy
and drama, his work is dramaturgically inventive, visually striking, and physically engaged.
He was the artistic director of Bloomsbury Opera and associate director of The Opera
Makers, both in London. In Portugal, he has recently directed L’Heure Espagnole and The
Turn of the Screw at Centro Cultural de Belém, and Don Giovanni and La Voix Humaine at
Festival de Ópera de Óbidos.

Jorge is committed to his work as a teacher, having taught at the Dutch National Opera
Academy, Morley College London, Universidade de Évora and other institutions. He
maintains an international coaching private practice and is the acting coach at the Neil
Semer Vocal Institute in Italy.

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