Prizewinners

The Queen Sonja Singing Competition’s main goal is to assist the career development of talented young singers. Since the beginning, the aims of the competition have included creating an international arena for music in Norway, which could showcase young musicians and give them an opportunity to be assessed at an international level. The competition has indeed acted as a stepping-stone for many of our prize-winners’ careers on the opera stage. Many of them have also established successful careers as soloists in recital with orchestras and in other arenas. Read more about our prize-winners’ opera careers by clicking on the names below. The information is taken from operabase.com.

2023

  • Jasmin White (contralto, USA), First Prize winner
  • Aksel Daveyan (baritone, Armenia), Second Prize winner
  • Nils Wanderer (countertenor, Germany), Third Prize winner
  • Navasard Hakobyan (baritone, Armenia), Finalist Prize winner
  • Vladyslav Tlushch (baritone, Ukraine), Finalist Prize winner
  • Rebecka Wallroth (mezzo-soprano, Sweden), Finalist Prize winner
  • Victoria Randem (soprano, Norway), awarded the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.
  • Felix Gygli (baritone, Switzerland), awarded the prize for best performance of Lied.

2021

2019

  • Sergey Kaydalov (baritone, Russia), First Prize winner
  • Stefan Astakhov (baritone, Germany), Second Prize winner
  • Adam Kutny (baritone, Poland), Third Prize winner and awarded the prize for best performance of Lied.
  • Theodore Browne (tenor, Germany), Finalist Prize winner
  • Natalia Tanasii (soprano, Moldova), Finalist Prize winner
  • Meigui Zhang (soprano, China), Finalist Prize winner
  • Astrid Nordstad, mezzo-soprano (Norway) was awarded the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.

2017

  • Mario Bahg (tenor, South Korea), First Prize winner 
  • Giovanni Sebastiano Sala (tenor, Italy), Second Prize winner 
  • Alexander Roslavets (bass, Belarus), Third Prize winner and awarded the prize for best performance of Norwegian music.
  • Ruslana Koval (soprano, Ukraine), Finalist Prize winner
  • Pavel Petrov (tenor, Belarus), Finalist Prize winner
  • Christian Valle, bass-baritone (Norway) was awarded the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.

2015

  • Lise Davidsen (soprano, Norway), First Prize winner and awarded the prizes of best performance of Norwegian music and the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.
  • Elsa Dreisig (soprano, France), Second Prize winner 
  • Yuriy Yurchuk (baritone, Ukraine), Third Prize winner
  • Leon Kosavic (baritone, Croatia), Finalist Prize winner
  • Alexey Lavrov (baritone, Russia), Finalist Prize winner

2013

  • Kristina Mkhitaryan (soprano, Russia), First Prize winner
  • Andrew Stenson (tenor, USA), Second Prize winner
  • Mélissa Petit (soprano, France), Third Prize winner
  • Hamida M. Kristofferen (soprano, Norway), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the prizes of best performance of Norwegian music and the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.
  • Brandon Cedel (bass-baritone, USA), Finalist Prize winner

2011

  • Dong-Hwan Lee (baritone, South Korea), First Prize winner 
  • Ingeborg Gillebo (mezzo-soprano, Norway), Second Prize winner and awarded the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.
  • Uliana Alexyuk (soprano, Ukraine), Third Prize winner
  • Kateryna Kasper (soprano, Ukraine), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the prize for best performance of Norwegian music.
  • John Chest (baritone, USA), Finalist Prize winner

2009

2007

2005

  • Daniel Behle (tenor, Germany), First Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.
  • Peter McGillivray (baritone, Canada), Second Prize winner 
  • In-Sung Sim (bass, Korea), Third Prize winner

2003

2001

1999

  • Virginia Tola (soprano, Argentina), First Prize winner 
  • Oana Andra (mezzo-soprano, Romania), Second Prize winner 
  • Ayk Martirossian (bass, Armenia), Third Prize winner 
  • Helene Ranada (mezzo-soprano, Sweden), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.

1997

1995

  • Akie Amou (soprano, Japan), First Prize winner
  • Tigran Martirossian (bass, Armenia), Second Prize winner 
  • Deng-Feng Zhao (tenor, China), Third Prize winner
  • Annette Seiltgen (mezzo-soprano, Germany), Finalist Prize winner
  • Melanie Diener (soprano, Germany), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.
  • Åshild Skiri Refsdal was awarded a scholarship by Postbanken for best Norwegian participant.

1992 (piano)

  • Simone Pedroni (Italy), First Prize winner
  • Folke Nauta (the Netherlands), Second Prize winner
  • Sigurd Slåttebrekk (Norway), Third Prize winner
  • Victor Lyadov (Russia), Finalist Prize winner
  • Francesco Libetta (Italy), Finalist Prize winner was awarded the prize for best interpretation of a Norwegian work.

1988 (piano)

  • Nigel Hill (United Kingdom), First Prize winner
  • Jeffrey Biegel (USA), Second Prize winner
  • Sergey Schepkin (Russia), Third Prize winner
  • Eckhart Heiligers (Germany), Finalist Prize winner