Jasmin White is the winner of Queen Sonja Singing Competition 2023!
Jasmin White emerged as the winner of this year’s Queen Sonja Singing Competition. The American contralto takes home €50,000 and artwork by H.M. Queen Sonja.
H.M. Queen Sonja was present during the final concert at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and presented the awards, while the Norwegian opera star Lise Davidsen served as the host.
First Prize winner: Jasmin White (contralto, USA)
Second Prize winner: Aksel Daveyan (baritone, Armenia)
Third Prize winner: Nils Wanderer (countertenor, Germany)
Winner of the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship: Victoria Randem (soprano, Norway)
Winner of the Lied Prize: Felix Gygli (baritone, Switzerland)
Earlier in the competition, Randi Stene, the jury leader and opera director at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, expressed that she found the level of this year’s competition to be very high and incredibly even. She reiterated this sentiment on stage during the award ceremony.
“It has been extremely close. So, we have been looking for a winner who has the complete package,” Stene said.
Aksel Daveyan (baritone) from Armenia took second place, while Nils Wanderer (countertenor) from Germany secured the third place. They win €10,000 and €5,000 respectively.
Meet our prizewinners!
Jasmin White (contralto, USA), First Prize winner
Aksel Daveyan (baritone, Armenia), Second Prize winner
Nils Wanderer (countertenor, Germany), Third Prize winner
Victoria Randem (soprano, Norway), winner of the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship
Felix Gygli (baritone, Switzerland), winner of the Lied Prize
The following finalists participated in the final concert:
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 / countertenor
Jasmin White (b. 1993) / USA / contralto
The jury:
Randi Stene, Norway – head of the jury, Director of Opera, The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo.
Samuel Gelber, USA – Director of Artistic Planning, Washington National Opera, Washington D.C.
Michael Heaston, USA – Assistant General Manager, Artistic, The Metropolitan Opera, New York
Stefan Herheim, Norway – Opera Director, Theater an der Wien
Sophie de Lint, Switzerland/Netherlands – Director of Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam
Pål Christian Moe, Norway – Artistic Administrator and Casting Adviser
Annette Weber, Germany – Opera Director, Opernhaus Zürich
More about QSSC:
The Queen Sonja Singing Competition (QSSC) is a prestigious biennial competition.
The competition concluded with a grand final concert at the Norwegian National Opera on Saturday, August 26th. H.M.
The competition continuously works to provide opportunities for talents to showcase themselves and serve as a gateway to the professional music world.
The competition also acts as a bridge between Norwegian and international music communities. Leading opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera Covent Garden in London, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, and the Opernhaus Zürich send aspirants to the competition.
Among the competition’s institutional partners are the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, NRK, the Norwegian Academy of Music, the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, the Oslo Philharmonic, and the Royal Court of Norway.