The Cascais Conservatory of Music woke up today with a special energy. After two days of auditions, rehearsals and sharing, twenty singers have reached the semi-finals, representing some of the most promising voices of the new generation of international opera singers.
Today is the day leading up to the Cascais Opera Final. More than just demonstrating talent, the semi-finalists can reveal once again their journey of dedication, growth and the desire to evolve.
Twenty singers take to the stage today. Eight will proceed to the Final, which will take place in the Grand Auditorium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Regardless of the result, they have all reached this stage after a highly demanding artistic journey, forming part of a group of young performers selected from 499 applications from 59 countries.
The international jury, comprising directors of leading opera houses, festivals and artistic institutions, will be responsible for selecting the finalists. But for the audience, this is above all a day to discover new voices, follow careers in the making and witness the future of opera taking shape in Cascais.
What changes in a semi-final
In the early rounds, the contestants appeared before the jury for the first time – two arias, a brief introduction and a first impression. Today, the situation is different. The jury already knows them. They already know what each voice is capable of. And that is precisely what makes the semi-final more demanding: it is not enough to simply repeat what has been done before. They must go further.
Cascais Ópera was designed precisely for this: not just to discover talent, but to challenge them to go beyond what they already know they can achieve.
At the end of the day: eight names
Later this afternoon, eight names will be announced. For these eight, the path leads to the Gulbenkian – the venue for the final, one of Portugal’s most iconic. The remaining twelve will have the opportunity to be heard once again in a concert setting at the Palácio da Cidadela in Cascais on the 4th.
But that is for later. For now, the Conservatoire is filled with voices. Twenty singers from twenty-five countries, selected from 499 applications, who survived the first round and have made it this far. Each with their own aria, their own story, their own reason for being in this room.
The voices continue.
