Karen Stone, Chief Executive of Opera Europa · Member of the jury for the Cascais Opera 2026 Competition
Karen Stone knows opera from every possible angle: as a student at the Royal Academy of Music and the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, as a singer, as a director, as General Director of the Dallas Opera, as Artistic Director in Graz and Magdeburg, and now as Executive Director of Opera Europa, the world’s largest opera network. When she talks about what competitions mean to young singers, she draws on all these experiences at once.
“Opera competitions are an absolutely vital part of the development of young talent”, she says. And Cascais Opera, she adds, is one of the best. “It’s excellent because it’s not just a good competition with an interesting jury – it also offers, through the masterclasses, and even for young singers who don’t make it through to the next round, a concert. All of this contributes to the artistic and professional development of these young singers”.
The power of the stage
Karen Stone is emphatic about the importance of practical experience – of actually being on stage in front of an audience. “Whether you’re baking a cake or singing an aria, you need experience. You need to understand what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are. And you can only achieve that when you’re on stage in front of an audience”. No amount of preparation, she insists, can replace the direct experience of performing.
Opera Europa’s own work reflects this conviction. Since January 2025, the organisation has been running a new programme – Opera Europa Next Generation – with 45 permanent partners in opera houses across Europe. The competition finals are streamed free of charge on Opera Vision, its online service, reaching opera companies and agents all over the world without the singers having to travel. “This naturally gives these young singers a great deal of exposure”.
The value of a diverse life
Karen Stone’s own journey – from aspiring singer to opera director to network leader – has given her a perspective she values deeply. “I don’t think there’s any experience any of us has in any field that doesn’t contribute to who we are as people”. She speaks warmly of preparing salads in the kitchens at Madame Tussauds whilst she was a student, and of the people she met there who shaped her way of thinking. “Everything we do helps to make us the well-rounded people we are”.
It is this sense of completeness that she looks for in a singer. Not the perfect note, not the polished phrase, but the passion that makes the audience feel drawn in. “We need to feel your passion, the reason why you do this. If we feel that passion, you’ll convey it to the audience, and the audience will join you on that extraordinary journey”. That, she says, is what matters most. Not a beautiful note here or a quick phrase there. Communication.
