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

Maria Motolygina (soprano, Russia), First Prize winner
Badral Chuluunbaatar (baritone, Mongolia), Second Prize winner
Inna Demenkova (soprano, Russia), Third Prize winner
Erika Baikoff (soprano, USA), Finalist Prize winner
Brent Michael Smith (bass, USA), Finalist Prize winner
Lydia Hoen Tjore (soprano, Norway), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for best Norwegian participant.
Liv Redpath (soprano, USA) awarded the prize for best performance of Lied.

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

Seung-Gi Jung (baritone, South Korea), First Prize winner
Jacquelyn Wagner (soprano, USA), Second Prize winner
Adrian Angelico (mezzo-soprano, Norway), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.
Katharina Persicke (soprano, Germany), Finalist Prize winner
Nadine Sierra (soprano, USA), Finalist Prize winner

2007

Audun Iversen (baritone, Norway), First Prize winner
Anita Watson (soprano, Australia), Second Prize winner
Nina M. Gravrok (soprano, Norway), Third Prize winner
Mari Eriksmoen (soprano, Norway), Finalist Prize winner
Erika Roos (soprano, Sweden), Finalist Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.

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

Olga Mykytenko (soprano, Ukraine), First Prize winner
Measha Brueggergosman (soprano, Canada), Second Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.
Vladimir Baykov (bass, Russia), Third Prize winner
Vibeke Kristensen (soprano, Norway) was awarded the prize for best Norwegian participant.

2001

Marita Kvarving Sølberg (soprano, Norway), First Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize and the prize for best Norwegian participant.
Galina Sidorenko (mezzo-soprano, Russia), Second Prize winner
Yorck Felix Speer (bass-baritone, Germany), Third Prize winner

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

Liao Changyong (baritone, China), First Prize winner
Valentina Kutzarova (mezzo-soprano, Bulgaria), Second Prize winner and awarded the Troldhaugen Grieg Prize.
Ofelia Sala (soprano, Spain), Third Prize winner
Hege Gustava Tjønn, soprano, was awarded the prize for best Norwegian participant.

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