Nominees for the 2019 International Opera Awards were announced yesterday, and we are thrilled to see numerous AH artists recognised. The winners will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony at London’s Sadler’s Wells on Monday 29 April.
Jump to a category:
- Conductor
- Female Singer
- New Production
- Readers’ Award
- Recording (Complete Opera)
- World Premiere
- Young Singer
Congratulations to all!
Myung-Whun Chung is one of six artists nominated for the Conductor Award. With a career spanning more than four decades, Maestro Chung has conducted virtually all the world’s leading orchestras, and has held positions with Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Opéra de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Staatskapelle Dresden.
Rosa Feola is once again nominated for the Female Singer Award, alongside Anna Caterina Antonacci and Asmik Grigorian. All three artists made star turns in new roles last year: Asmik receiving worldwide acclaim for her portrayal of Salome at the Salzburg Festival (“a Salome to end all Salomes” Financial Times); Anna Caterina as Queen Elizabeth I at Teatro Real (“one of the most immaculate interpretations I have seen in years” Operawire); and Rosa as Lucia di Lammermoor at Theater Basel (“Rosa Feola’s performance as Lucia carried the production” bachtrack).
Deborah Warner – whose production of Billy Budd won the category last year – is once again nominated for the New Production Award, this year for her La traviata for Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
Other nominated productions include Keith Warner’s Vanessa for Glyndebourne (in which Virginie Verrez made her house debut as Erika), David McVicar’s production of Britten’s Gloriana for Teatro Real (with Anna Caterina Antonacci, Sophie Bevan, Duncan Rock and David Soar), and Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production of Janáček’s From the House of the Dead for the Royal Opera House (with Nicky Spence giving “the most notable piece of character acting” (bachtrack) as Tall Prisoner).
Dame Sarah Connolly and Sonya Yoncheva are both nominated for the Readers’ Award; the winner of which is decided by a pubic vote. Voting closes 5pm GMT on Friday 8 March 2019. Vote here.
Of the six recordings nominated for Recording (Complete Opera), five feature performances from Askonas Holt artists:
- Glyndebourne’s recording of Brett Dean’s Hamlet – which won the World Premiere Award in 2018 – with Dame Sarah Connolly (Gertrude) and Rod Gilfry (Claudius)
- Fromental Halévy La Reine de Chypre, with Etienne Dupuis as Jacques de Lusignan, the King of Cyprus
- Opera Rara’s recording of Rossini’s Semiramide, with James Platt as Nino’s Ghost
- Wagner Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg from the Bayreuth Festival, with Anne Schwanewilms as Eva
- Verdi Giovanna d’Arco, with Dmitry Belosselskiy as Talbot, recorded at Teatro alla Scala
George Benjamin’s latest opera, Lessons in Love and Violence, is nominated in the World Premiere category. This follows the huge success of the composer’s Written on Skin, widely thought of as one of the most successful new operas of recent times and winner of numerous awards, including: Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, South Bank Sky Arts Award, RPS Award, Académie Charles Cros’ prestigious ‘Grand Prix’, French Critics Awards Grand Prize and an Edison Klassiek.
The shortlist for the World Premiere Award also includes Thomas Larcher’s Das Jagdgewehr (The Hunting Gun), which premiered at the Bregenzer Festspiele with Robin Tritschler making his festival debut as the Poet.
Winner of the 2016 Chilcott Award, and The Times’ Face to Watch for opera in 2019, Soraya Mafi is shortlisted in the Young Singer category.
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