Competition Jury 2025

Randi Stene, Norway (Chair of the Jury)
Director of Opera, the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo

Randi Stene joined the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet as Director of Opera in 2020, after being Casting Director and Director of Opera at Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera. The mezzo-soprano is a graduate of the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen.

Stene made her international breakthrough in Cardiff Singer of the World in 1991 and when she sang the role of Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Since then, she has appeard on many of the world’s leading opera stages and has also had a significant career as a concert singer. She was permanently associated with the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen as a soloist until August 2019.

Peter de Caluwe, Belgium
CEO and Artistic Director, La Monnaie/De Munt, Brussels

Peter de Caluwe is CEO and Artistic Director at La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels sincs 2005. He studied literature and theatre history at the universities of Ghent, Brussels, and Antwerp. In 1986, still a student, Gerard Mortier invited him to La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels, where he started his career as a dramaturge responsible for press contacts, public relations, and youth projects.
Under his leadership, La Monnaie was nominated Opera House of the Year by the specialized German magazine Opernwelt – a leading reference on opera worldwide.

From 2011 to 2013, Peter was President of Opera Europa, the leading organization of professional opera companies and festivals in Europe. Today, he is an executive board member of various cultural and management institutions.

Tatjana Kandel, Denmark
Head of Artistic Planning, Danish National Symphony Orchestra,

Tatjana Kandel is Head of Artistic Planning for the DR Ensembles at the Danish National Symphony Orchestra & Ensembles in Copenhagen. Prior to getting this position in 2012, she was the General Manager and Artistic Director at the Danish National Chamber Orchestra.

Kandel has also led the Copenhagen Summer Festival in Charlottenborg.

Michael Heaston, USA
Deputy General Manager, the Metropolitan Opera, New York

Michael Heaston is Deputy General Manager at The Metropolitan Opera, where he leads the entire artistic department and oversees artistic planning and casting at one of the largest arts organizations in the world. Previous positions include Artistic Administrator at the Met, Executive Director of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Associate Artistic Director of The Glimmerglass Festival, Music Director of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, and Director of the Cafritz Young Artist Program and American Opera Initiative at Washington National Opera.

A sought-after clinician and adjudicator, he has presented master classes at many of the world’s leading conservatories and served on the juries of countless competitions.

Alex Taylor, Norway
Head of Artistic Planning, the Oslo Philharmonic

Alex Taylor holds the position of Head of Artistic Planning for the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He studied musicology at the University of Edinburgh and piano performance at the Royal College of Music in London. As a pianist he has won many prizes at international piano competitions. Alex has performed as soloist with BBC orchestras and as recitalist and chamber musician at festivals and venues throughout the UK, Europe and Japan.

After several years of intense concert and touring activity, Alex chose to develop his career in other directions, whilst continuing to perform as regularly as possible. In 2007 he moved to Norway to take up the position of Director of Programming for Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, before moving to Oslo in 2012.

Carolin Wielpütz, Austria
Director of Artistic Planning, MusikTheater an der Wien

Since 2020 Carolin Wielpütz has been director of artistic planning at MusikTheater an der Wien. Carolin studied applied theatre and media studies along with English at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, including study visits to Spain, USA and Ireland. Parallel to her studies the passionate chorus singer took part in chorus activities as well as vocal and musical training at the Institute of Sacred Music. After graduation Carolin Wielpütz moved to Dublin, Ireland, to work in the field of international exchange for a leading business confederation. Following her return to Germany, she started her career in opera as assistant director at Theater Bonn, followed by her work as personal advisor to the artistic director of the same theatre.

Carolin Wielpütz spent several years as project manager and advisor to the casting director of the Bregenzer Festspiele under David Pountney, before returning to Theater Bonn as director of artistic planning in opera.