20 August 2023

The six finalists are chosen in Queen Sonja Singing Competition 2023!

Opera shooting stars from Armenia, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, and the USA are ready for the final of the Queen Sonja Singing Competition 2023.

The participants of the Queen Sonja International Music Competition continue to impress both the jury and the audience. Six finalists are now ready for Saturday’s final concert at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet.

“It has been a fantastic competition so far. The level is sky-high. There was a consistent stream of fantastic vocal performances throughout the semifinals. Now we look forward to the final concert,” says Executive Director Lars Hallvard Flæten of the Queen Sonja Singing Competition.

Here are the six finalists:

Aksel Daveyan (b. 1995) / Armenia / baritone

Navasard Hakobyan (b. 1998) / Armenia / baritone

Vladyslav Tlushch (b. 1992) / Ukraine / baritone

Rebecka Wallroth (b. 1999) / Sweden / mezzo-soprano

Nils Wanderer (b. 1993) / Germany / contra-tenor

Jasmin White (b. 1993) / USA / contralto

In the final on August 26th, the six top participants will perform opera arias accompanied by the Opera Orchestra under the direction of conductor James Gaffigan. There are still a few tickets available for the final concert.

LIED AWARD PRESENTED AFTER THE SEMIFINALS:

After the semifinals, a special award was presented in the lieder category. Throughout the competition, the semifinalists sang material outside the traditional opera repertoire. This prize in 2023 goes to the baritone Felix Gygli (b. 1996) from Switzerland.

See more photos from the semifinals here.

All photos: Per Ole Hagen