Grand Prix Égide + Contract with São Carlos National Theatre

RTP Audience Prize

Rita Coelho is a Portuguese mezzo-soprano. She has performed Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and La maestra delle novizie in Suor Angelica by G. Puccini, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium by G.C. Menotti and Mercedes in Carmen by G. Bizet. She is currently a member of the Wielki National Theater Choir.

First Prize “Tereza Berganza” for female voice

Anna Tetruashvili is an Israeli lyric mezzo-soprano, currently in her second season at Gärtnerplatztheater’s opera studio in Munich (2023–25). She made her Salzburg Festival debut in 2024 as Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, earning recognition as a "Breakout Artist" by The New York Times. She has performed at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and taken on roles such as Hänsel, Zerlina, and Tisbe. A graduate of MDW Vienna, she has won top prizes in international competitions, including the 2023 Salzburg Mozart Competition.

Viktor Aksentijević is a Baritone born in Serbia and based in Germany. In 2023 he graduated at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in the class of Linda Watson. He’s the first prize winner of Gabriele Sima Singing Scholarship 2023. Beginning with the season 24/25 he’s a member of the Theater Lübeck Opera studio. Performed roles include Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème”, Aeneas in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Graf Tiefenthal in Cimarosa’s “Die heimliche Ehe”, Moralès in Bizet’s “Carmen”, 1. SS Offizier in Weinberg’s “Die Passagierin”. He also performs a repertoire of art song.

2nd Prize

The Chinese soprano Manhan Qi is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Renate Faltin. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the Excellent-Concert under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim. Since January 2025, Manhan has been a member of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Young Artist Program in Beijing. In the 2025/26 season, she will make her debut at the Wiener Kammeroper (Musiktheater an der Wien) as Tibrino in Cesti’s opera Orontea, under the baton of Wolfgang Katschner.

3rd Prize

Best Singer under 25 Award

Defne Celik, born in Germany, is currently studying at the Hanover University of Music (HMTMH) with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka. She discovered her passion for singing at the age of 13 and has been enrolled at HMTMH ever since, first in various pre study-programs. The 21-year-old soprano is the prizewinner of the third prize, the Young Artist Award, and the Audience Prize at the international singing competition DEBUT Concerts 2024, as well as the Special Prize for Voice from the Hamel Foundation in the 2023 German Music Competition. She actively performs in opera, oratorio, and art song.

Stage Skills Award

Oksana Pynchuk is a Ukrainian soprano, born in 1997, currently based in Berlin, Germany. She has gained international recognition, winning First Prize at both the Valerio Gentile International Vocal Competition (2023, Italy) and the Olena Belkina International Vocal Competition (2024, Austria). She has performed on stage in leading roles such as Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Gilda (Rigoletto,Verdi), and Adele (Die Fledermaus, Strauss). She graduated with honors with a Bachelor's degree and is now pursuing her Master's at the Hanns Eisler School of Berlin, studying with Prof. Anna Samuil.

Amazonas Opera Festival

The South Korean baritone Sunu Seungwoo Sun is currently studying Konzert Examen Gesang at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Sop. Carolyn Grace James, after completing both his Bachelor's and Master’s degrees there. His performance credits include roles such as Tonio in Pagliacci, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore. In January 2025, he was selected to perform as Riccardo in I Puritani at the 76th Concorso Internazionale AsLiCo in Como, Italy.

Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Contract

Sehyun Kyung is a tenor from South Korea, currently pursuing his master’s degree at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Rainer Trost. In 2023, he participated in the masterclass of the Wiener Staatsoper Friends’ Association led by KS Neil Shicoff, further honing his artistry. He also completed an exchange program at the Hanover Staatopera. His operatic repertoire features roles such as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. He made his debut in Verdi’s Requiem in 2025 in Klagenfurt and at the Musikverein Wien in Austria.

Festival Internacional de Marvão Contract

Ju Hyeok Lee is a Tenor from South Korea, born in 1993, based in Germany. He has performed Rossini's La Gazzetta at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and, as Leonato, in Handel's Alessandro at the E.T.A Hoffmann Theater. He was the Tenor Soloist in Mendelssohn's Elijah at the Konzerthaus Berlin with Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Ju Hyeok made his role debut at Oper Dortmund as Alfred in Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart. He studied in Seoul National University and holds a Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He is currently a member of the Opernstudio NRW.

Contract with Algarve International Piano Festival

Jaewoung Lee studied under Prof. Wookyung Kim at Hanyang University and graduated with honors. Since October 2023, he has been studying under Prof. Thomas Quasthoff at HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin. He won 1st place in the 2022 Joongang Music Competition, Special Prize in the 2021 Daegu International Vocal Competition, and 2nd prize in the 2022 Gloria Opera Competition. In Korea, he has performed the role of Don Giovanni Teatr Wielki Don Giovanni, as well as the opera Gianni Schichi and opera Spring, Spring.

Contract with the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras

Soprano Laura Brasó, born in Barcelona in 1996, began her musical training early, specializing in vocal studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. She received guidance from renowned artists like Nelly Miricioiu and Miquel Ortega. She has won several awards, including 1st place at the 2019 International Music Competition of les Corts and 2nd place at the 2024 Logroño Singing Competition. Her operatic debut was in 2015 as Frasquita in Carmen. She will perform Micaela in Carmen in upcoming engagements.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Madalena Oliveira Martins is a Portuguese soprano born in 1999. She won a special prize in the 2024 Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in Berlin, several prizes at Festival and Academy Verão Clássico awarded by Anna Samuil, with whom she has worked many times, etc. She has also worked with Brigitte Fassbänder, Thomas Quasthoff, Christine Schäfer, Ewa Wolak, among others. As a soloist, she sang Bach’s Kaffeekantate and Mozart’s Requiem with the Preussisches Kammerorchester. She is finishing her Bachelor with Simon Bode at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler where she was accepted for Masters.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Ester Ferraro is a young Italian mezzo-soprano. She graduated in Operatic Singing at the Conservatory of Perugia and later specialised in Renaissance and Baroque Singing at the Conservatory of Ferrara under the guidance of Gloria Banditelli and Marina De Liso. She has received awards in several Italian and International singing competitions. She has worked with conductors such as James Gaffigan, Riccardo Minasi, Alessandro Quarta and with Stage Directors such as Robert Carsen, Vincent Huguet, Francesco Micheli and Stephen Taylor.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Milan Perišić is an award winning Serbian baritone based in Spain. He acquired his MA degree in Voice in Trieste, Italy. He sang at major Spanish theatres and concert halls, like Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Opera de Tenerife, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palau de la Música Catalana. His critically acclaimed interpretations of Puccini's Lescaut and Marcello established him as a reliable young baritone. He sang under the baton of John Adams, Mark Wigglesworth, Jordi Savall, Giacomo Sagripanti etc. His next debuts include Cecil (Maria Stuarda) and Schaunard (La Bohème).

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

The French tenor, Jean Miannay, shines in generous, fresh, and dynamic roles such as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Tonio in la Fille du Régiment or Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles. 24 Heures writes “Jean Miannay performs a tender, clumsy, and naive Nemorino to perfection… His ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ already shows remarkable finesse.” His career has led him to perform on prestigious stages such as the Chorégies d’Orange or the opera houses of Strasbourg, Avignon, Massy, Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand, Lausanne, Fribourg and Theater Magdeburg.

Grand Prix Égide + Contract with São Carlos National Theatre

RTP Audience Prize

Rita Coelho is a Portuguese mezzo-soprano. She has performed Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and La maestra delle novizie in Suor Angelica by G. Puccini, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium by G.C. Menotti and Mercedes in Carmen by G. Bizet. She is currently a member of the Wielki National Theater Choir.

First Prize “Tereza Berganza” for female voice

Anna Tetruashvili is an Israeli lyric mezzo-soprano, currently in her second season at Gärtnerplatztheater’s opera studio in Munich (2023–25). She made her Salzburg Festival debut in 2024 as Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, earning recognition as a "Breakout Artist" by The New York Times. She has performed at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and taken on roles such as Hänsel, Zerlina, and Tisbe. A graduate of MDW Vienna, she has won top prizes in international competitions, including the 2023 Salzburg Mozart Competition.

Viktor Aksentijević is a Baritone born in Serbia and based in Germany. In 2023 he graduated at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in the class of Linda Watson. He’s the first prize winner of Gabriele Sima Singing Scholarship 2023. Beginning with the season 24/25 he’s a member of the Theater Lübeck Opera studio. Performed roles include Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème”, Aeneas in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Graf Tiefenthal in Cimarosa’s “Die heimliche Ehe”, Moralès in Bizet’s “Carmen”, 1. SS Offizier in Weinberg’s “Die Passagierin”. He also performs a repertoire of art song.

2nd Prize

The Chinese soprano Manhan Qi is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Renate Faltin. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the Excellent-Concert under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim. Since January 2025, Manhan has been a member of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Young Artist Program in Beijing. In the 2025/26 season, she will make her debut at the Wiener Kammeroper (Musiktheater an der Wien) as Tibrino in Cesti’s opera Orontea, under the baton of Wolfgang Katschner.

3rd Prize

Best Singer under 25 Award

Defne Celik, born in Germany, is currently studying at the Hanover University of Music (HMTMH) with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka. She discovered her passion for singing at the age of 13 and has been enrolled at HMTMH ever since, first in various pre study-programs. The 21-year-old soprano is the prizewinner of the third prize, the Young Artist Award, and the Audience Prize at the international singing competition DEBUT Concerts 2024, as well as the Special Prize for Voice from the Hamel Foundation in the 2023 German Music Competition. She actively performs in opera, oratorio, and art song.

Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Contract

Sehyun Kyung is a tenor from South Korea, currently pursuing his master’s degree at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Rainer Trost. In 2023, he participated in the masterclass of the Wiener Staatsoper Friends’ Association led by KS Neil Shicoff, further honing his artistry. He also completed an exchange program at the Hanover Staatopera. His operatic repertoire features roles such as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. He made his debut in Verdi’s Requiem in 2025 in Klagenfurt and at the Musikverein Wien in Austria.

Contract with Algarve International Piano Festival

Jaewoung Lee studied under Prof. Wookyung Kim at Hanyang University and graduated with honors. Since October 2023, he has been studying under Prof. Thomas Quasthoff at HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin. He won 1st place in the 2022 Joongang Music Competition, Special Prize in the 2021 Daegu International Vocal Competition, and 2nd prize in the 2022 Gloria Opera Competition. In Korea, he has performed the role of Don Giovanni Teatr Wielki Don Giovanni, as well as the opera Gianni Schichi and opera Spring, Spring.

Contract with the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras

Soprano Laura Brasó, born in Barcelona in 1996, began her musical training early, specializing in vocal studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. She received guidance from renowned artists like Nelly Miricioiu and Miquel Ortega. She has won several awards, including 1st place at the 2019 International Music Competition of les Corts and 2nd place at the 2024 Logroño Singing Competition. Her operatic debut was in 2015 as Frasquita in Carmen. She will perform Micaela in Carmen in upcoming engagements.

Grand Prix Égide + Contract with São Carlos National Theatre

RTP Audience Prize

Rita Coelho is a Portuguese mezzo-soprano. She has performed Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and La maestra delle novizie in Suor Angelica by G. Puccini, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium by G.C. Menotti and Mercedes in Carmen by G. Bizet. She is currently a member of the Wielki National Theater Choir.

The bass-baritone Hanseong Yun, born in Jeju, South Korea, studied at Hanyang University in Seoul under Professor Senghyon Ko. Since October 2022, he has studied under Professor Anna Korondi at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He has received numerous awards, including 3rd Prize and the Oratorio Special Prize at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition (2025), the Special Prize at the Riccardo Zandonai Competition (2023), 6th Prize at the Seoul International Competition (2023). He was also a finalist at the Debut Wettbewerb (2024) and the Viñas Competition (2024).

Konstantin Fedotov earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Cheboksary Musical College and earned his master's degree at the Moscow Academy of Choral Art. He is now a soloist with the Novaya Opera in Moscow, where his many roles have included Méphistophélès in Faust, Escamillo in Carmen, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Ramfis in Aida, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Khan Konchak in Prince Igor, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Benoît in La bohème, Malyuta Skuratov in The Tsar's Bride and Ferrando in Il Trovatore. His repertoire also includes both Masetto and the Commendatore.

Na’ama Shulman earned her Master’s degree at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, performing roles like Susanna, Despina, Musetta, and Pamina with various opera companies in Israel. She joined the Opera Studio at Staatsoper Hamburg (2018–2020), and remained a regular guest. From 2021 to 2024, she was an ensemble member at Theater Magdeburg, singing roles as Adina, Gretel, Zerlina, Ännchen. She appeared as a guest at Aalto Theater Essen (Pamina cover), Staatstheater Mainz, and Volkstheater Rostock. In the 2024/25 season, she returns to Staatsoper Hamburg and debuts at Staatstheater Darmstadt as Adina (L’elisir d’amore).

Rosalind is a British Coloratura soprano who studied English Literature at Cambridge University, before training at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the National Opera Studio in London. This season Rosalind has performed with Garsington Opera, Opera North, and recently has been covering on Festen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Roles include: Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Controller (Flight), Gretel/Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Cunegonde (Candide), and Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos). Rosalind is generously supported by the Carne Trust.

After completing her higher education in Seville, Soraya Méncid traveled to Italy to perfect the belcanto technique selected by the prestigious Acc. de Belcanto Rodolfo Celletti. Performing different roles with Compañía Sevillana de Zarzuela, she has been a member of the Proyecto Zarza at the T. de la Zarzuela, developing her comedic skills. With her great versatility, she's standing out for her great work in early music too with professionals like Carlos Mena or Aarón Zapico. Current winner of the Nuevas Voces contest, she's been awarded with different national and international prizes.

First Prize “Tereza Berganza” for female voice

Anna Tetruashvili is an Israeli lyric mezzo-soprano, currently in her second season at Gärtnerplatztheater’s opera studio in Munich (2023–25). She made her Salzburg Festival debut in 2024 as Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, earning recognition as a "Breakout Artist" by The New York Times. She has performed at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and taken on roles such as Hänsel, Zerlina, and Tisbe. A graduate of MDW Vienna, she has won top prizes in international competitions, including the 2023 Salzburg Mozart Competition.

Viktor Aksentijević is a Baritone born in Serbia and based in Germany. In 2023 he graduated at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in the class of Linda Watson. He’s the first prize winner of Gabriele Sima Singing Scholarship 2023. Beginning with the season 24/25 he’s a member of the Theater Lübeck Opera studio. Performed roles include Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème”, Aeneas in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Graf Tiefenthal in Cimarosa’s “Die heimliche Ehe”, Moralès in Bizet’s “Carmen”, 1. SS Offizier in Weinberg’s “Die Passagierin”. He also performs a repertoire of art song.

2nd Prize

The Chinese soprano Manhan Qi is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Renate Faltin. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the Excellent-Concert under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim. Since January 2025, Manhan has been a member of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Young Artist Program in Beijing. In the 2025/26 season, she will make her debut at the Wiener Kammeroper (Musiktheater an der Wien) as Tibrino in Cesti’s opera Orontea, under the baton of Wolfgang Katschner.

3rd Prize

Best Singer under 25 Award

Defne Celik, born in Germany, is currently studying at the Hanover University of Music (HMTMH) with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka. She discovered her passion for singing at the age of 13 and has been enrolled at HMTMH ever since, first in various pre study-programs. The 21-year-old soprano is the prizewinner of the third prize, the Young Artist Award, and the Audience Prize at the international singing competition DEBUT Concerts 2024, as well as the Special Prize for Voice from the Hamel Foundation in the 2023 German Music Competition. She actively performs in opera, oratorio, and art song.

Stage Skills Award

Oksana Pynchuk is a Ukrainian soprano, born in 1997, currently based in Berlin, Germany. She has gained international recognition, winning First Prize at both the Valerio Gentile International Vocal Competition (2023, Italy) and the Olena Belkina International Vocal Competition (2024, Austria). She has performed on stage in leading roles such as Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Gilda (Rigoletto,Verdi), and Adele (Die Fledermaus, Strauss). She graduated with honors with a Bachelor's degree and is now pursuing her Master's at the Hanns Eisler School of Berlin, studying with Prof. Anna Samuil.

Amazonas Opera Festival

The South Korean baritone Sunu Seungwoo Sun is currently studying Konzert Examen Gesang at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Sop. Carolyn Grace James, after completing both his Bachelor's and Master’s degrees there. His performance credits include roles such as Tonio in Pagliacci, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore. In January 2025, he was selected to perform as Riccardo in I Puritani at the 76th Concorso Internazionale AsLiCo in Como, Italy.

Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Contract

Sehyun Kyung is a tenor from South Korea, currently pursuing his master’s degree at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Rainer Trost. In 2023, he participated in the masterclass of the Wiener Staatsoper Friends’ Association led by KS Neil Shicoff, further honing his artistry. He also completed an exchange program at the Hanover Staatopera. His operatic repertoire features roles such as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. He made his debut in Verdi’s Requiem in 2025 in Klagenfurt and at the Musikverein Wien in Austria.

Festival Internacional de Marvão Contract

Ju Hyeok Lee is a Tenor from South Korea, born in 1993, based in Germany. He has performed Rossini's La Gazzetta at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and, as Leonato, in Handel's Alessandro at the E.T.A Hoffmann Theater. He was the Tenor Soloist in Mendelssohn's Elijah at the Konzerthaus Berlin with Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Ju Hyeok made his role debut at Oper Dortmund as Alfred in Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart. He studied in Seoul National University and holds a Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He is currently a member of the Opernstudio NRW.

Contract with Algarve International Piano Festival

Jaewoung Lee studied under Prof. Wookyung Kim at Hanyang University and graduated with honors. Since October 2023, he has been studying under Prof. Thomas Quasthoff at HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin. He won 1st place in the 2022 Joongang Music Competition, Special Prize in the 2021 Daegu International Vocal Competition, and 2nd prize in the 2022 Gloria Opera Competition. In Korea, he has performed the role of Don Giovanni Teatr Wielki Don Giovanni, as well as the opera Gianni Schichi and opera Spring, Spring.

Contract with the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras

Soprano Laura Brasó, born in Barcelona in 1996, began her musical training early, specializing in vocal studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. She received guidance from renowned artists like Nelly Miricioiu and Miquel Ortega. She has won several awards, including 1st place at the 2019 International Music Competition of les Corts and 2nd place at the 2024 Logroño Singing Competition. Her operatic debut was in 2015 as Frasquita in Carmen. She will perform Micaela in Carmen in upcoming engagements.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Madalena Oliveira Martins is a Portuguese soprano born in 1999. She won a special prize in the 2024 Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in Berlin, several prizes at Festival and Academy Verão Clássico awarded by Anna Samuil, with whom she has worked many times, etc. She has also worked with Brigitte Fassbänder, Thomas Quasthoff, Christine Schäfer, Ewa Wolak, among others. As a soloist, she sang Bach’s Kaffeekantate and Mozart’s Requiem with the Preussisches Kammerorchester. She is finishing her Bachelor with Simon Bode at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler where she was accepted for Masters.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Ester Ferraro is a young Italian mezzo-soprano. She graduated in Operatic Singing at the Conservatory of Perugia and later specialised in Renaissance and Baroque Singing at the Conservatory of Ferrara under the guidance of Gloria Banditelli and Marina De Liso. She has received awards in several Italian and International singing competitions. She has worked with conductors such as James Gaffigan, Riccardo Minasi, Alessandro Quarta and with Stage Directors such as Robert Carsen, Vincent Huguet, Francesco Micheli and Stephen Taylor.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Milan Perišić is an award winning Serbian baritone based in Spain. He acquired his MA degree in Voice in Trieste, Italy. He sang at major Spanish theatres and concert halls, like Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Opera de Tenerife, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palau de la Música Catalana. His critically acclaimed interpretations of Puccini's Lescaut and Marcello established him as a reliable young baritone. He sang under the baton of John Adams, Mark Wigglesworth, Jordi Savall, Giacomo Sagripanti etc. His next debuts include Cecil (Maria Stuarda) and Schaunard (La Bohème).

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

The French tenor, Jean Miannay, shines in generous, fresh, and dynamic roles such as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Tonio in la Fille du Régiment or Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles. 24 Heures writes “Jean Miannay performs a tender, clumsy, and naive Nemorino to perfection… His ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ already shows remarkable finesse.” His career has led him to perform on prestigious stages such as the Chorégies d’Orange or the opera houses of Strasbourg, Avignon, Massy, Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand, Lausanne, Fribourg and Theater Magdeburg.

Grand Prix Égide + Contract with São Carlos National Theatre

RTP Audience Prize

Rita Coelho is a Portuguese mezzo-soprano. She has performed Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and La maestra delle novizie in Suor Angelica by G. Puccini, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium by G.C. Menotti and Mercedes in Carmen by G. Bizet. She is currently a member of the Wielki National Theater Choir.

Ani Aghajanyan is a 24-years-old Armenian mezzo-soprano who moved to Germany at 17. She is currently studying in Frankfurt am Main with Prof. Michelle Breedt. She has performed at Staatstheater Darmstadt and Stadttheater Gießen and participated in masterclasses with renowned artists like Brigitte Fassbaender. A recipient of “Live Music Now,” “Deutschlandstipendium,” “Omodeo-Giovanni Stipendium,” and the “Bayreuth Stipendium,” she continues to refine her artistry, striving to inspire audiences through the power of music and storytelling.

Artem Akimov was born in 1994 and graduated from the M.I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatoire with a degree in Music and Theatre Arts (class of Associate Professor D.A. Suslov, 2021). Soloist at the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre since 2021. He has performed more than 10 opera roles, including the roles of the Count (The Marriage of Figaro by W.A. Mozart), Aeneas (Didon and Aeneas by G. Purcell), Yeletsky (The Queen of Spades by P. Tchaikovsky), Onegin (Eugene Onegin by P. Tchaikovsky), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart), Figaro (The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini).

Barbara Skora is a German-Polish mezzo-soprano known for her “sense of style” and “great vocal imagination.” Born in Ratibor in Silesia, Poland, Skora moved to Germany and began her studies with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka at the HMTM Hannover. In 2024, she won a special prize as a finalist in the 78th Concorso de Genève, as well as the Joint Prize from the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, and Staatsoper Berlin at the national competition. Furthermore, she is currently a scholarship holder of the Cusanuswerk.

David Goldberg made his role debut as Rodolfo La Bohème with the Jerusalem Lyric Festival in 2021. The following year, he appeared as Cavaradossi Tosca, at the same festival. In 2023, sang as Edrisi in Karol Szymanowski’s Krol Roger at Thater Kiel. In the summer os 2025 he will be singing Edmondo Manon Lescaut and Remendado Carmen at the Immling Festival. He received the Excellence Outstanding Scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation in both 2020 and 2022. He won 1st prize at the Corsica Lirica Competition and at the Jerusalem International Opera Competition both in 2022.

Fleuranne Brockway is a young mezzo-soprano from Perth, Australia. A graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, she joined the solo ensemble at Staatstheater Wiesbaden in 2018. Her roles there include Carmen, Charlotte, Dorabella, Wellgunde, Roßweisse, Cherubino, and Maddalena. She debuted at Bregenzer Festspiele as Suzuki in 2023 and Verbier Festival as Meg Page in 2024. She won CLIP and the JSRB Bel Canto Competition in 2022 and was a prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2023.

Gaeun Song is a coloratura soprano from South Korea, currently based in New York City. She has garnered recognition for her achievements, winning prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Opera Index Competition. In the 2024-25 season, Song will present a diverse array of performances at esteemed venues such as the Union Club and C. Stiefel Concert Hall. She will perform as the cover of Morgana in Händel’s Alcina at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater. Song completed her bachelor’s degree in Summa Cum Laude at Seoul National University. Currently, she is pursuing her master’s degree at the Mannes School of Music.

The bass-baritone Hanseong Yun, born in Jeju, South Korea, studied at Hanyang University in Seoul under Professor Senghyon Ko. Since October 2022, he has studied under Professor Anna Korondi at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He has received numerous awards, including 3rd Prize and the Oratorio Special Prize at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition (2025), the Special Prize at the Riccardo Zandonai Competition (2023), 6th Prize at the Seoul International Competition (2023). He was also a finalist at the Debut Wettbewerb (2024) and the Viñas Competition (2024).

Korean soprano Hyerin Park is currently pursuing a Konzertexamen at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim under Prof. Burkhard Fritz, after completing a double master’s degree in opera and concert singing with Prof. Stefanie Krahnenfeld. Her operatic roles include Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at Weikersheim Castle and performances with the Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg. As a concert soloist, she has sung in J.S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, Magnificat, and Handel’s Dixit Dominus. She is a prizewinner of the International Singing Competition Rheinsberg.

Iris Candelaria is a Finnish-Spanish soprano who studied at the Sibelius Academy. Iris made her debut in Savonlinna Opera Festival as High priestess in Aida and the next summer in Teatr Wielki’s Die Zauberflöte. At the Finnish National Opera, Iris has sung the roles of Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Constance in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Valencienne in Die Lustige Witwe. Iris is part of the young artist program at FNO. Iris Candelaria won 1st prizes both in Lappeenranta singing competition in 2023 and Timo Mustakallio competition in 2019.

Jiweon Kim is a South Korean soprano currently studying Opera Singing under Prof. Markus Schäfer at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. She has won multiple awards, including 2nd prize at the Joongang Music Competition and the Music Journal Competition. She was also a semi-finalist at the Linz Competition and received 2nd prize at The National Opera Competition and the Pavarotti Competition, along with a special award at the Magda Olivero Competition. On stage, she performed as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at Staatsoper Daegu.

Juliana Eiras Macedo is a rising Portuguese soprano. She graduated with distinction from the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona and is currently studying for a master's degree in singing at the Hochschule Für Musik Karlsruhe. As a soloist, she has performed in various venues throughout the country, including Casa da Música, Igreja da Lapa, Teatro Gil Vicente, among others, as well as abroad (Casa Russa, Sala Parès, etc.) in Barcelona. She stood out at the Operafest Lisboa, reaching the final of the Marathon Ópera XXI. Standing out in roles such as Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte), Micaela (Carmen), the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Mimi (La Bohème), opera is her life.

The Portuguese-German soprano Juliane Stolzenbach Ramos has performed across Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Italy. She starred as Cenicienta in Viardot’s Cendrillon at Teatro Real Madrid, Teatro de la Maestranza, and Opera Oviedo, and portrayed Miranda in the world premiere of G. F. Haas’ Sycorax at Opera Bern. Her concert highlights as a soloist include performances with the Philharmonie Baden-Baden, the SWR Experimentalstudio, at Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Teatro Real . She received a special prize at the Tenor Viñas Competition and was a finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition in New York.

Konstantin Fedotov earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Cheboksary Musical College and earned his master's degree at the Moscow Academy of Choral Art. He is now a soloist with the Novaya Opera in Moscow, where his many roles have included Méphistophélès in Faust, Escamillo in Carmen, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Ramfis in Aida, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Khan Konchak in Prince Igor, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Benoît in La bohème, Malyuta Skuratov in The Tsar's Bride and Ferrando in Il Trovatore. His repertoire also includes both Masetto and the Commendatore.

My name is Kyrylo Krasnykov and I am a tenor. My life has been divided almost exactly in half between science and music. While science is the only professional occupation, music has always complemented the need for creative realization. I am studying singing and organ privately, as both have always been a dream of mine since teenage years. The reason for my growth as a singer is a unique voice teacher I have been fortunate to team up with and achieve rapid progress – Olena Udodenko, soprano from Kharkiv. I hope that this competition will be a big step forward to launch my singing career.

Lina Tsiklauri is a Georgian lyric-coloratura soprano known for her expressive artistry and technical brilliance. She has performed leading roles in Die Fledermaus, La Boheme, Rigoletto, Don Pasquale, and more. In 2025, she will sing Musetta in La Boheme at Erfurt Opera in August and perform with OCL Luxembourg in concerts in France and Luxembourg. A finalist in prestigious competitions, she has trained with opera legends and performed in major European theaters.

Soprano Maria Koroleva, a member of the International Opera Studio at Oper Köln, graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music, London, earning a Master of Music degree as a Sussex Scholar Award recipient. She continued her studies at the Dutch National Opera Academy with the Excellence and Holland Scholarships. During her career, Maria has appeared as Musetta in La Bohème, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Frasquita in Carmen, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, 4.Magd in Elektra, and created the role of Catarina Costa in the world premiere of Strangers by Frank Pesci.

Marta Martins graduated from ESMAE under the guidance of Rui Taveira and holds a master's degree in opera from Hfmt Köln with Christoph Prégardien. She has performed in Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Germany, solo with Orquestra XXI, Orchestra Kairos, Beethoven Orchester Bonn and Orquestra do Algarve. She has excelled as Ormino (Gli amori di Ergasto, Greber), Condessa (La Donna di genio volubile, Marcos Portugal) and in the works Weihnachtsoratorium and Magnificat by J.S. Bach. She won the Helena Sá e Costa Prize (2018), the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship and was awarded a prize in the Portuguese Rotary Foundation Competition (2023).

Maya is an Israeli - Portuguese singer who specializes in traditional Jazz and Opera. Upcoming roles include Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Israeli Opera, debut as Carmen in Carmen and as Polina in Queen of Spades at Oper Leipzig, 2. Blumenmädchen em Parsifal at Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Amando em Le Grand Macabre at Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Until 2023, Maya was an Opera Studio member at The Dutch National Opera where she sang Smeton in Anna Bolena, Page in Salome, Muriel in Raskatov’s Animal Farm, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and more . Her recent and forthcoming highlights include her return to the Dutch National Opera to make her role debut as Maddalena in their season opening Rigoletto as well as Mary in Die Fliegende Holländer with Jaap van Zweden. Maya is a prize winner of the Belvedere competition 2023.

In 2024, Mengying Jia was admitted to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg to study for a Konzertexamen degree with Prof. Yvi Jänicke. Young artist, Yehudi Menuhin-Live Music Now; Scholar of Berlin Opera Akademy and Saluzzo Opera Akademy; 4th place in the Basel International Vocal Competition 2024, Switzerland; 2nd place in the HfMT Mozart Vocal Competition 2023, awarded by the Absalom Foundation und the Hamburg Regional Masonic Lodge.

Na’ama Shulman earned her Master’s degree at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, performing roles like Susanna, Despina, Musetta, and Pamina with various opera companies in Israel. She joined the Opera Studio at Staatsoper Hamburg (2018–2020), and remained a regular guest. From 2021 to 2024, she was an ensemble member at Theater Magdeburg, singing roles as Adina, Gretel, Zerlina, Ännchen. She appeared as a guest at Aalto Theater Essen (Pamina cover), Staatstheater Mainz, and Volkstheater Rostock. In the 2024/25 season, she returns to Staatsoper Hamburg and debuts at Staatstheater Darmstadt as Adina (L’elisir d’amore).

Nazar Mykulyak is a Ukrainian baritone and a participant in the Young Artists Development Program at the Polish National Opera since 2022. His stage debut took place in 2023 as Silvio in Pagliacci (Bulgaria) and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Ukraine). In 2024, he performed the role of Lucifero in Handel’s oratorio La Resurrezione in Finland. He has appeared on major philharmonic stages and at the International Opera Awards 2023 gala at Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera, actively developing his concert and opera career across Europe.

Qinchuan Lan is a Chinese bass-baritone who will join the Opernstudio at Staatstheater Nürnberg for the 2025/2026 season. He previously studied under Prof. Mark Tucker at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and Prof. Susanne Kelling at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg. He has performed key roles such as Leporello in Don Giovanni and Schaunard in La Bohème. A prizewinner in multiple international vocal competitions, he is also active in concert performances across Europe. Fluent in German and English, he has basic proficiency in Italian, French, and Russian.

Berlin-based American soprano Rebecca Manseau debuts in the title role of Suor Angelica at the Georgia State Theater Springer Opera House and returns to FIO Italia to debut Mimì (La bohème) in the 2024/25 season. Recent role highlights include Fiordiligi, Contessa Almaviva, Agathe, Tatiana, and concert debut as Rusalka and Micäela with the Slovak State Opera. Ms. Manseau is an international prizewinner, including the Gabriela Beňačková Vocal Competition, has workshopped with Eva Randova, W. Stephen Smith, Eva Mei, Ernesto Palacio, and is a previous Fulbright, DAAD and NATS Dillard Scholar.

Rosalind is a British Coloratura soprano who studied English Literature at Cambridge University, before training at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the National Opera Studio in London. This season Rosalind has performed with Garsington Opera, Opera North, and recently has been covering on Festen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Roles include: Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Controller (Flight), Gretel/Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Cunegonde (Candide), and Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos). Rosalind is generously supported by the Carne Trust.

After completing her higher education in Seville, Soraya Méncid traveled to Italy to perfect the belcanto technique selected by the prestigious Acc. de Belcanto Rodolfo Celletti. Performing different roles with Compañía Sevillana de Zarzuela, she has been a member of the Proyecto Zarza at the T. de la Zarzuela, developing her comedic skills. With her great versatility, she's standing out for her great work in early music too with professionals like Carlos Mena or Aarón Zapico. Current winner of the Nuevas Voces contest, she's been awarded with different national and international prizes.

Susanne Veeh has been a permanent member of the MDR Rundfunkchor since 2022 and is a prizewinner of the 6° Concorso Arturo Toscanini 2021. She can be heard regularly in her own recitals and as a soloist in various oratorios. In staged productions, her focus has been primarily on works of early and new music so far. Veeh has already worked with conductors such as A. Nelsons, K. Petrenko and M. Janowski. She began her vocal studies in Nuremberg in 2015, first with G. Czerepan and later with J. Hammar. In Hanover, she studied with M. Sandel and in J. P. Schulze's Lied class from 2019 until 2024.

Born in China 2000, critics have praised WenBo Shuai as "a singer full of drama and energy". Winner of the Vincerò Opera World Competition in Verona, the Bologna International Voice Competition and the 42nd Daegu International Vocal Music Competition in Korea. In addition, he has been shortlisted for international awards, such as: Tenor Viñas Contest, Wilhelm Stenhammar International Music Competition, International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera «Pietro Antonio Cesti» and other. He played the roles of Siebel in "Faust", Stephone in “Romeo et Juliette” and the alto part of Purcell's “The Fairy Queen”.

Xiaoyu Li was born in 1997 in Guangdong, China. Since 2021 she has been studying at the Hanns Eisler School of music Berlin under KS. Prof. Dr. Ewa Wolak. 2020-2024 attended masterclasses with KS Krassimira Stoyanova, Prof. Anna Samuil, Conductor Will Humburg etc. 2023 Performed in live radio concert with Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra on Rundfunk Berlin featuring Hindemith’s Sabinchen. 2024 Advanced to the Semifinal round of Belvedere 2024 and the second round of Neue Stimme 2024 competition. Performed operatic roles in Berlin: Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Elettra (Idomeneo), Mimi (La Bohème).

First Prize “Tereza Berganza” for female voice

Anna Tetruashvili is an Israeli lyric mezzo-soprano, currently in her second season at Gärtnerplatztheater’s opera studio in Munich (2023–25). She made her Salzburg Festival debut in 2024 as Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, earning recognition as a "Breakout Artist" by The New York Times. She has performed at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and taken on roles such as Hänsel, Zerlina, and Tisbe. A graduate of MDW Vienna, she has won top prizes in international competitions, including the 2023 Salzburg Mozart Competition.

Viktor Aksentijević is a Baritone born in Serbia and based in Germany. In 2023 he graduated at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in the class of Linda Watson. He’s the first prize winner of Gabriele Sima Singing Scholarship 2023. Beginning with the season 24/25 he’s a member of the Theater Lübeck Opera studio. Performed roles include Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème”, Aeneas in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Graf Tiefenthal in Cimarosa’s “Die heimliche Ehe”, Moralès in Bizet’s “Carmen”, 1. SS Offizier in Weinberg’s “Die Passagierin”. He also performs a repertoire of art song.

2nd Prize

The Chinese soprano Manhan Qi is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Renate Faltin. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the Excellent-Concert under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim. Since January 2025, Manhan has been a member of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Young Artist Program in Beijing. In the 2025/26 season, she will make her debut at the Wiener Kammeroper (Musiktheater an der Wien) as Tibrino in Cesti’s opera Orontea, under the baton of Wolfgang Katschner.

3rd Prize

Best Singer under 25 Award

Defne Celik, born in Germany, is currently studying at the Hanover University of Music (HMTMH) with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka. She discovered her passion for singing at the age of 13 and has been enrolled at HMTMH ever since, first in various pre study-programs. The 21-year-old soprano is the prizewinner of the third prize, the Young Artist Award, and the Audience Prize at the international singing competition DEBUT Concerts 2024, as well as the Special Prize for Voice from the Hamel Foundation in the 2023 German Music Competition. She actively performs in opera, oratorio, and art song.

Stage Skills Award

Oksana Pynchuk is a Ukrainian soprano, born in 1997, currently based in Berlin, Germany. She has gained international recognition, winning First Prize at both the Valerio Gentile International Vocal Competition (2023, Italy) and the Olena Belkina International Vocal Competition (2024, Austria). She has performed on stage in leading roles such as Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Gilda (Rigoletto,Verdi), and Adele (Die Fledermaus, Strauss). She graduated with honors with a Bachelor's degree and is now pursuing her Master's at the Hanns Eisler School of Berlin, studying with Prof. Anna Samuil.

Amazonas Opera Festival

The South Korean baritone Sunu Seungwoo Sun is currently studying Konzert Examen Gesang at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Sop. Carolyn Grace James, after completing both his Bachelor's and Master’s degrees there. His performance credits include roles such as Tonio in Pagliacci, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore. In January 2025, he was selected to perform as Riccardo in I Puritani at the 76th Concorso Internazionale AsLiCo in Como, Italy.

Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Contract

Sehyun Kyung is a tenor from South Korea, currently pursuing his master’s degree at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Rainer Trost. In 2023, he participated in the masterclass of the Wiener Staatsoper Friends’ Association led by KS Neil Shicoff, further honing his artistry. He also completed an exchange program at the Hanover Staatopera. His operatic repertoire features roles such as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. He made his debut in Verdi’s Requiem in 2025 in Klagenfurt and at the Musikverein Wien in Austria.

Festival Internacional de Marvão Contract

Ju Hyeok Lee is a Tenor from South Korea, born in 1993, based in Germany. He has performed Rossini's La Gazzetta at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and, as Leonato, in Handel's Alessandro at the E.T.A Hoffmann Theater. He was the Tenor Soloist in Mendelssohn's Elijah at the Konzerthaus Berlin with Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Ju Hyeok made his role debut at Oper Dortmund as Alfred in Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart. He studied in Seoul National University and holds a Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He is currently a member of the Opernstudio NRW.

Contract with Algarve International Piano Festival

Jaewoung Lee studied under Prof. Wookyung Kim at Hanyang University and graduated with honors. Since October 2023, he has been studying under Prof. Thomas Quasthoff at HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin. He won 1st place in the 2022 Joongang Music Competition, Special Prize in the 2021 Daegu International Vocal Competition, and 2nd prize in the 2022 Gloria Opera Competition. In Korea, he has performed the role of Don Giovanni Teatr Wielki Don Giovanni, as well as the opera Gianni Schichi and opera Spring, Spring.

Contract with the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras

Soprano Laura Brasó, born in Barcelona in 1996, began her musical training early, specializing in vocal studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. She received guidance from renowned artists like Nelly Miricioiu and Miquel Ortega. She has won several awards, including 1st place at the 2019 International Music Competition of les Corts and 2nd place at the 2024 Logroño Singing Competition. Her operatic debut was in 2015 as Frasquita in Carmen. She will perform Micaela in Carmen in upcoming engagements.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Madalena Oliveira Martins is a Portuguese soprano born in 1999. She won a special prize in the 2024 Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in Berlin, several prizes at Festival and Academy Verão Clássico awarded by Anna Samuil, with whom she has worked many times, etc. She has also worked with Brigitte Fassbänder, Thomas Quasthoff, Christine Schäfer, Ewa Wolak, among others. As a soloist, she sang Bach’s Kaffeekantate and Mozart’s Requiem with the Preussisches Kammerorchester. She is finishing her Bachelor with Simon Bode at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler where she was accepted for Masters.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Ester Ferraro is a young Italian mezzo-soprano. She graduated in Operatic Singing at the Conservatory of Perugia and later specialised in Renaissance and Baroque Singing at the Conservatory of Ferrara under the guidance of Gloria Banditelli and Marina De Liso. She has received awards in several Italian and International singing competitions. She has worked with conductors such as James Gaffigan, Riccardo Minasi, Alessandro Quarta and with Stage Directors such as Robert Carsen, Vincent Huguet, Francesco Micheli and Stephen Taylor.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Milan Perišić is an award winning Serbian baritone based in Spain. He acquired his MA degree in Voice in Trieste, Italy. He sang at major Spanish theatres and concert halls, like Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Opera de Tenerife, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palau de la Música Catalana. His critically acclaimed interpretations of Puccini's Lescaut and Marcello established him as a reliable young baritone. He sang under the baton of John Adams, Mark Wigglesworth, Jordi Savall, Giacomo Sagripanti etc. His next debuts include Cecil (Maria Stuarda) and Schaunard (La Bohème).

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

The French tenor, Jean Miannay, shines in generous, fresh, and dynamic roles such as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Tonio in la Fille du Régiment or Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles. 24 Heures writes “Jean Miannay performs a tender, clumsy, and naive Nemorino to perfection… His ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ already shows remarkable finesse.” His career has led him to perform on prestigious stages such as the Chorégies d’Orange or the opera houses of Strasbourg, Avignon, Massy, Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand, Lausanne, Fribourg and Theater Magdeburg.

Grand Prix Égide + Contract with São Carlos National Theatre

RTP Audience Prize

Rita Coelho is a Portuguese mezzo-soprano. She has performed Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and La maestra delle novizie in Suor Angelica by G. Puccini, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium by G.C. Menotti and Mercedes in Carmen by G. Bizet. She is currently a member of the Wielki National Theater Choir.

Artem Akimov was born in 1994 and graduated from the M.I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatoire with a degree in Music and Theatre Arts (class of Associate Professor D.A. Suslov, 2021). Soloist at the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre since 2021. He has performed more than 10 opera roles, including the roles of the Count (The Marriage of Figaro by W.A. Mozart), Aeneas (Didon and Aeneas by G. Purcell), Yeletsky (The Queen of Spades by P. Tchaikovsky), Onegin (Eugene Onegin by P. Tchaikovsky), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart), Figaro (The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini).

Barbara Skora is a German-Polish mezzo-soprano known for her “sense of style” and “great vocal imagination.” Born in Ratibor in Silesia, Poland, Skora moved to Germany and began her studies with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka at the HMTM Hannover. In 2024, she won a special prize as a finalist in the 78th Concorso de Genève, as well as the Joint Prize from the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, and Staatsoper Berlin at the national competition. Furthermore, she is currently a scholarship holder of the Cusanuswerk.

David Goldberg made his role debut as Rodolfo La Bohème with the Jerusalem Lyric Festival in 2021. The following year, he appeared as Cavaradossi Tosca, at the same festival. In 2023, sang as Edrisi in Karol Szymanowski’s Krol Roger at Thater Kiel. In the summer os 2025 he will be singing Edmondo Manon Lescaut and Remendado Carmen at the Immling Festival. He received the Excellence Outstanding Scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation in both 2020 and 2022. He won 1st prize at the Corsica Lirica Competition and at the Jerusalem International Opera Competition both in 2022.

Fleuranne Brockway is a young mezzo-soprano from Perth, Australia. A graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, she joined the solo ensemble at Staatstheater Wiesbaden in 2018. Her roles there include Carmen, Charlotte, Dorabella, Wellgunde, Roßweisse, Cherubino, and Maddalena. She debuted at Bregenzer Festspiele as Suzuki in 2023 and Verbier Festival as Meg Page in 2024. She won CLIP and the JSRB Bel Canto Competition in 2022 and was a prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2023.

Gaeun Song is a coloratura soprano from South Korea, currently based in New York City. She has garnered recognition for her achievements, winning prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Opera Index Competition. In the 2024-25 season, Song will present a diverse array of performances at esteemed venues such as the Union Club and C. Stiefel Concert Hall. She will perform as the cover of Morgana in Händel’s Alcina at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater. Song completed her bachelor’s degree in Summa Cum Laude at Seoul National University. Currently, she is pursuing her master’s degree at the Mannes School of Music.

The bass-baritone Hanseong Yun, born in Jeju, South Korea, studied at Hanyang University in Seoul under Professor Senghyon Ko. Since October 2022, he has studied under Professor Anna Korondi at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He has received numerous awards, including 3rd Prize and the Oratorio Special Prize at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition (2025), the Special Prize at the Riccardo Zandonai Competition (2023), 6th Prize at the Seoul International Competition (2023). He was also a finalist at the Debut Wettbewerb (2024) and the Viñas Competition (2024).

Iris Candelaria is a Finnish-Spanish soprano who studied at the Sibelius Academy. Iris made her debut in Savonlinna Opera Festival as High priestess in Aida and the next summer in Teatr Wielki’s Die Zauberflöte. At the Finnish National Opera, Iris has sung the roles of Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Constance in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Valencienne in Die Lustige Witwe. Iris is part of the young artist program at FNO. Iris Candelaria won 1st prizes both in Lappeenranta singing competition in 2023 and Timo Mustakallio competition in 2019.

Juliana Eiras Macedo is a rising Portuguese soprano. She graduated with distinction from the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona and is currently studying for a master's degree in singing at the Hochschule Für Musik Karlsruhe. As a soloist, she has performed in various venues throughout the country, including Casa da Música, Igreja da Lapa, Teatro Gil Vicente, among others, as well as abroad (Casa Russa, Sala Parès, etc.) in Barcelona. She stood out at the Operafest Lisboa, reaching the final of the Marathon Ópera XXI. Standing out in roles such as Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte), Micaela (Carmen), the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Mimi (La Bohème), opera is her life.

The Portuguese-German soprano Juliane Stolzenbach Ramos has performed across Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Italy. She starred as Cenicienta in Viardot’s Cendrillon at Teatro Real Madrid, Teatro de la Maestranza, and Opera Oviedo, and portrayed Miranda in the world premiere of G. F. Haas’ Sycorax at Opera Bern. Her concert highlights as a soloist include performances with the Philharmonie Baden-Baden, the SWR Experimentalstudio, at Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Teatro Real . She received a special prize at the Tenor Viñas Competition and was a finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition in New York.

Konstantin Fedotov earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Cheboksary Musical College and earned his master's degree at the Moscow Academy of Choral Art. He is now a soloist with the Novaya Opera in Moscow, where his many roles have included Méphistophélès in Faust, Escamillo in Carmen, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Ramfis in Aida, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Khan Konchak in Prince Igor, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Benoît in La bohème, Malyuta Skuratov in The Tsar's Bride and Ferrando in Il Trovatore. His repertoire also includes both Masetto and the Commendatore.

My name is Kyrylo Krasnykov and I am a tenor. My life has been divided almost exactly in half between science and music. While science is the only professional occupation, music has always complemented the need for creative realization. I am studying singing and organ privately, as both have always been a dream of mine since teenage years. The reason for my growth as a singer is a unique voice teacher I have been fortunate to team up with and achieve rapid progress – Olena Udodenko, soprano from Kharkiv. I hope that this competition will be a big step forward to launch my singing career.

Lina Tsiklauri is a Georgian lyric-coloratura soprano known for her expressive artistry and technical brilliance. She has performed leading roles in Die Fledermaus, La Boheme, Rigoletto, Don Pasquale, and more. In 2025, she will sing Musetta in La Boheme at Erfurt Opera in August and perform with OCL Luxembourg in concerts in France and Luxembourg. A finalist in prestigious competitions, she has trained with opera legends and performed in major European theaters.

Soprano Maria Koroleva, a member of the International Opera Studio at Oper Köln, graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music, London, earning a Master of Music degree as a Sussex Scholar Award recipient. She continued her studies at the Dutch National Opera Academy with the Excellence and Holland Scholarships. During her career, Maria has appeared as Musetta in La Bohème, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Frasquita in Carmen, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, 4.Magd in Elektra, and created the role of Catarina Costa in the world premiere of Strangers by Frank Pesci.

Marta Martins graduated from ESMAE under the guidance of Rui Taveira and holds a master's degree in opera from Hfmt Köln with Christoph Prégardien. She has performed in Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Germany, solo with Orquestra XXI, Orchestra Kairos, Beethoven Orchester Bonn and Orquestra do Algarve. She has excelled as Ormino (Gli amori di Ergasto, Greber), Condessa (La Donna di genio volubile, Marcos Portugal) and in the works Weihnachtsoratorium and Magnificat by J.S. Bach. She won the Helena Sá e Costa Prize (2018), the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship and was awarded a prize in the Portuguese Rotary Foundation Competition (2023).

Maya is an Israeli - Portuguese singer who specializes in traditional Jazz and Opera. Upcoming roles include Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Israeli Opera, debut as Carmen in Carmen and as Polina in Queen of Spades at Oper Leipzig, 2. Blumenmädchen em Parsifal at Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Amando em Le Grand Macabre at Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Until 2023, Maya was an Opera Studio member at The Dutch National Opera where she sang Smeton in Anna Bolena, Page in Salome, Muriel in Raskatov’s Animal Farm, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and more . Her recent and forthcoming highlights include her return to the Dutch National Opera to make her role debut as Maddalena in their season opening Rigoletto as well as Mary in Die Fliegende Holländer with Jaap van Zweden. Maya is a prize winner of the Belvedere competition 2023.

In 2024, Mengying Jia was admitted to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg to study for a Konzertexamen degree with Prof. Yvi Jänicke. Young artist, Yehudi Menuhin-Live Music Now; Scholar of Berlin Opera Akademy and Saluzzo Opera Akademy; 4th place in the Basel International Vocal Competition 2024, Switzerland; 2nd place in the HfMT Mozart Vocal Competition 2023, awarded by the Absalom Foundation und the Hamburg Regional Masonic Lodge.

Na’ama Shulman earned her Master’s degree at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, performing roles like Susanna, Despina, Musetta, and Pamina with various opera companies in Israel. She joined the Opera Studio at Staatsoper Hamburg (2018–2020), and remained a regular guest. From 2021 to 2024, she was an ensemble member at Theater Magdeburg, singing roles as Adina, Gretel, Zerlina, Ännchen. She appeared as a guest at Aalto Theater Essen (Pamina cover), Staatstheater Mainz, and Volkstheater Rostock. In the 2024/25 season, she returns to Staatsoper Hamburg and debuts at Staatstheater Darmstadt as Adina (L’elisir d’amore).

Berlin-based American soprano Rebecca Manseau debuts in the title role of Suor Angelica at the Georgia State Theater Springer Opera House and returns to FIO Italia to debut Mimì (La bohème) in the 2024/25 season. Recent role highlights include Fiordiligi, Contessa Almaviva, Agathe, Tatiana, and concert debut as Rusalka and Micäela with the Slovak State Opera. Ms. Manseau is an international prizewinner, including the Gabriela Beňačková Vocal Competition, has workshopped with Eva Randova, W. Stephen Smith, Eva Mei, Ernesto Palacio, and is a previous Fulbright, DAAD and NATS Dillard Scholar.

Rosalind is a British Coloratura soprano who studied English Literature at Cambridge University, before training at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the National Opera Studio in London. This season Rosalind has performed with Garsington Opera, Opera North, and recently has been covering on Festen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Roles include: Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Controller (Flight), Gretel/Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Cunegonde (Candide), and Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos). Rosalind is generously supported by the Carne Trust.

After completing her higher education in Seville, Soraya Méncid traveled to Italy to perfect the belcanto technique selected by the prestigious Acc. de Belcanto Rodolfo Celletti. Performing different roles with Compañía Sevillana de Zarzuela, she has been a member of the Proyecto Zarza at the T. de la Zarzuela, developing her comedic skills. With her great versatility, she's standing out for her great work in early music too with professionals like Carlos Mena or Aarón Zapico. Current winner of the Nuevas Voces contest, she's been awarded with different national and international prizes.

Susanne Veeh has been a permanent member of the MDR Rundfunkchor since 2022 and is a prizewinner of the 6° Concorso Arturo Toscanini 2021. She can be heard regularly in her own recitals and as a soloist in various oratorios. In staged productions, her focus has been primarily on works of early and new music so far. Veeh has already worked with conductors such as A. Nelsons, K. Petrenko and M. Janowski. She began her vocal studies in Nuremberg in 2015, first with G. Czerepan and later with J. Hammar. In Hanover, she studied with M. Sandel and in J. P. Schulze's Lied class from 2019 until 2024.

Born in China 2000, critics have praised WenBo Shuai as "a singer full of drama and energy". Winner of the Vincerò Opera World Competition in Verona, the Bologna International Voice Competition and the 42nd Daegu International Vocal Music Competition in Korea. In addition, he has been shortlisted for international awards, such as: Tenor Viñas Contest, Wilhelm Stenhammar International Music Competition, International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera «Pietro Antonio Cesti» and other. He played the roles of Siebel in "Faust", Stephone in “Romeo et Juliette” and the alto part of Purcell's “The Fairy Queen”.

First Prize “Tereza Berganza” for female voice

Anna Tetruashvili is an Israeli lyric mezzo-soprano, currently in her second season at Gärtnerplatztheater’s opera studio in Munich (2023–25). She made her Salzburg Festival debut in 2024 as Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, earning recognition as a "Breakout Artist" by The New York Times. She has performed at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and taken on roles such as Hänsel, Zerlina, and Tisbe. A graduate of MDW Vienna, she has won top prizes in international competitions, including the 2023 Salzburg Mozart Competition.

Viktor Aksentijević is a Baritone born in Serbia and based in Germany. In 2023 he graduated at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in the class of Linda Watson. He’s the first prize winner of Gabriele Sima Singing Scholarship 2023. Beginning with the season 24/25 he’s a member of the Theater Lübeck Opera studio. Performed roles include Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème”, Aeneas in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Graf Tiefenthal in Cimarosa’s “Die heimliche Ehe”, Moralès in Bizet’s “Carmen”, 1. SS Offizier in Weinberg’s “Die Passagierin”. He also performs a repertoire of art song.

2nd Prize

The Chinese soprano Manhan Qi is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Renate Faltin. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the Excellent-Concert under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim. Since January 2025, Manhan has been a member of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Young Artist Program in Beijing. In the 2025/26 season, she will make her debut at the Wiener Kammeroper (Musiktheater an der Wien) as Tibrino in Cesti’s opera Orontea, under the baton of Wolfgang Katschner.

3rd Prize

Best Singer under 25 Award

Defne Celik, born in Germany, is currently studying at the Hanover University of Music (HMTMH) with Prof. Dr. Marek Rzepka. She discovered her passion for singing at the age of 13 and has been enrolled at HMTMH ever since, first in various pre study-programs. The 21-year-old soprano is the prizewinner of the third prize, the Young Artist Award, and the Audience Prize at the international singing competition DEBUT Concerts 2024, as well as the Special Prize for Voice from the Hamel Foundation in the 2023 German Music Competition. She actively performs in opera, oratorio, and art song.

Stage Skills Award

Oksana Pynchuk is a Ukrainian soprano, born in 1997, currently based in Berlin, Germany. She has gained international recognition, winning First Prize at both the Valerio Gentile International Vocal Competition (2023, Italy) and the Olena Belkina International Vocal Competition (2024, Austria). She has performed on stage in leading roles such as Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Gilda (Rigoletto,Verdi), and Adele (Die Fledermaus, Strauss). She graduated with honors with a Bachelor's degree and is now pursuing her Master's at the Hanns Eisler School of Berlin, studying with Prof. Anna Samuil.

Amazonas Opera Festival

The South Korean baritone Sunu Seungwoo Sun is currently studying Konzert Examen Gesang at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Sop. Carolyn Grace James, after completing both his Bachelor's and Master’s degrees there. His performance credits include roles such as Tonio in Pagliacci, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore. In January 2025, he was selected to perform as Riccardo in I Puritani at the 76th Concorso Internazionale AsLiCo in Como, Italy.

Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Contract

Sehyun Kyung is a tenor from South Korea, currently pursuing his master’s degree at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Rainer Trost. In 2023, he participated in the masterclass of the Wiener Staatsoper Friends’ Association led by KS Neil Shicoff, further honing his artistry. He also completed an exchange program at the Hanover Staatopera. His operatic repertoire features roles such as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. He made his debut in Verdi’s Requiem in 2025 in Klagenfurt and at the Musikverein Wien in Austria.

Festival Internacional de Marvão Contract

Ju Hyeok Lee is a Tenor from South Korea, born in 1993, based in Germany. He has performed Rossini's La Gazzetta at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and, as Leonato, in Handel's Alessandro at the E.T.A Hoffmann Theater. He was the Tenor Soloist in Mendelssohn's Elijah at the Konzerthaus Berlin with Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Ju Hyeok made his role debut at Oper Dortmund as Alfred in Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart. He studied in Seoul National University and holds a Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He is currently a member of the Opernstudio NRW.

Contract with Algarve International Piano Festival

Jaewoung Lee studied under Prof. Wookyung Kim at Hanyang University and graduated with honors. Since October 2023, he has been studying under Prof. Thomas Quasthoff at HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin. He won 1st place in the 2022 Joongang Music Competition, Special Prize in the 2021 Daegu International Vocal Competition, and 2nd prize in the 2022 Gloria Opera Competition. In Korea, he has performed the role of Don Giovanni Teatr Wielki Don Giovanni, as well as the opera Gianni Schichi and opera Spring, Spring.

Contract with the Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras

Soprano Laura Brasó, born in Barcelona in 1996, began her musical training early, specializing in vocal studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. She received guidance from renowned artists like Nelly Miricioiu and Miquel Ortega. She has won several awards, including 1st place at the 2019 International Music Competition of les Corts and 2nd place at the 2024 Logroño Singing Competition. Her operatic debut was in 2015 as Frasquita in Carmen. She will perform Micaela in Carmen in upcoming engagements.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Madalena Oliveira Martins is a Portuguese soprano born in 1999. She won a special prize in the 2024 Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in Berlin, several prizes at Festival and Academy Verão Clássico awarded by Anna Samuil, with whom she has worked many times, etc. She has also worked with Brigitte Fassbänder, Thomas Quasthoff, Christine Schäfer, Ewa Wolak, among others. As a soloist, she sang Bach’s Kaffeekantate and Mozart’s Requiem with the Preussisches Kammerorchester. She is finishing her Bachelor with Simon Bode at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler where she was accepted for Masters.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Ester Ferraro is a young Italian mezzo-soprano. She graduated in Operatic Singing at the Conservatory of Perugia and later specialised in Renaissance and Baroque Singing at the Conservatory of Ferrara under the guidance of Gloria Banditelli and Marina De Liso. She has received awards in several Italian and International singing competitions. She has worked with conductors such as James Gaffigan, Riccardo Minasi, Alessandro Quarta and with Stage Directors such as Robert Carsen, Vincent Huguet, Francesco Micheli and Stephen Taylor.

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

Milan Perišić is an award winning Serbian baritone based in Spain. He acquired his MA degree in Voice in Trieste, Italy. He sang at major Spanish theatres and concert halls, like Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Opera de Tenerife, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palau de la Música Catalana. His critically acclaimed interpretations of Puccini's Lescaut and Marcello established him as a reliable young baritone. He sang under the baton of John Adams, Mark Wigglesworth, Jordi Savall, Giacomo Sagripanti etc. His next debuts include Cecil (Maria Stuarda) and Schaunard (La Bohème).

Contract with the Festival de Música de Mafra

The French tenor, Jean Miannay, shines in generous, fresh, and dynamic roles such as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Tonio in la Fille du Régiment or Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles. 24 Heures writes “Jean Miannay performs a tender, clumsy, and naive Nemorino to perfection… His ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ already shows remarkable finesse.” His career has led him to perform on prestigious stages such as the Chorégies d’Orange or the opera houses of Strasbourg, Avignon, Massy, Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand, Lausanne, Fribourg and Theater Magdeburg.