The twelfth Worldwide Opera Awards – the opera world’s most prestigious accolade – lit up the Stavros Niarchos Corridor of the Greek Nationwide Opera (GNO) in Athens tonight in a landmark celebration of the worldwide opera neighborhood. Reside-streamed worldwide, the occasion underscored the artform’s enduring energy to encourage audiences and rework communities throughout borders.
Hosted for the primary time by the GNO and introduced by BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny, the occasion celebrated excellent operatic achievement throughout 5 continents with finalists from 25 nations.
Highlighting the vibrancy and international attain of opera, the glittering occasion – made doable by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Basis (SNF) to reinforce the GNO’s creative outreach – was a strong celebration of Greek classical music, with exceptional works by Greek composers Spyridon Samaras, Paolo Carrer, Theofrastos Sakellaridis, Nikos Skalkottas, Mikis Theodorakis and Giorgos Koumendakis. Underneath the musical path of Konstantinos Terzakis, the soloists of the GNO Dimitri Platanias, Vassiliki Karayanni, Yannis Christopoulos, Maria Kosovitsa accompanied by the Orchestra, Refrain, Ballet, and Youngsters’s Refrain of the GNO delivered stirring performances. The creative supervision and path of the ceremony was undertaken by the Ballet Director of the Greek Nationwide Opera, Konstantinos Rigos, in collaboration with the Director of stage of the Greek Nationwide Opera, Katerina Petsatodi. Excerpts from Puccini’s operas had been additionally carried out by star soloists Marina Rebeka and Nicholas Brownlee, winners of the Readers’ and Male Singer Awards respectively.
Harry Hyman, founding father of the Worldwide Opera Awards, mentioned: ‘It’s great to rejoice the winners of the 2025 Worldwide Opera Awards with Greek Nationwide Opera in Athens for the primary time, on the magnificent Stavros Niarchos Corridor. Tonight, we rejoice the distinctive achievements of artists and corporations from throughout the globe whose work exemplifies the creativity, excellence and collaborative spirit that outline opera. Our warmest congratulations go to all of this 12 months’s winners and nominees. Your contributions encourage audiences worldwide and make sure the continued vitality of this extraordinary artwork kind.’
Giorgos Koumendakis, creative director of the Greek Nationwide Opera, mentioned: ‘It’s a nice pleasure for all of us right here on the Greek Nationwide Opera to welcome, for the primary time in Greece, such a prestigious, world-class occasion. Yearly, the Worldwide Opera Awards rejoice essentially the most vital creative achievements worldwide, performances that stand out, and pioneering opera homes. We’re very lucky to serve an artwork kind that’s vibrant, evolving, thought-provoking, and sparks dialogue — an artwork that reigns supreme as the final word, refined essence of the human spirit. I hope that this night will flood each conventional and social media with constructive information that encourages risk-taking, innovation, data, expertise, and devotion. The world of opera produces exceptional works, and tonight we are going to rejoice this creativity and take it on a journey past Athens to the sting of the world.’
Greece’s Minister of Tradition, Dr Lina Mendoni, introduced one of many night’s most prestigious honours, the 2025 Opera Firm Award, to MusikTheater an der Wien. Following a two-year closure and intensive renovation to considered one of Europe’s most historic homes, the corporate made a triumphant return within the 2024/25 season, presenting a daring and wide-ranging programme that spanned over 4 centuries of music theatre, from totally staged productions to live performance operas and academic initiatives.
Dr Mendoni remarked: ‘We’re delighted and proud to host the Worldwide Opera Awards Ceremony on the Greek Nationwide Opera, a testomony to the establishment’s rising international stature. Because of the arduous work of everybody concerned, and underneath the impressed creative path of internationally acclaimed composer Giorgos Koumendakis, the Greek Nationwide Opera now rightfully ranks among the many world’s main opera homes. Welcoming the Worldwide Opera Awards for the primary time affirms its outward-looking technique, highlights its contribution to trendy Greek tradition and firmly locations it among the many nations that serve the artwork of opera with experience, artistic creativeness, and dedication. I wish to lengthen my warmest congratulations to the artists and creators we honour tonight, and my heartfelt because of the devoted employees of the Greek Nationwide Opera for his or her impeccable group of this night’s occasion.’
In one of many night’s most emotional moments, legendary mezzo-soprano Agnes Baltsa acquired the Lifetime Achievement Award from GNO Inventive Director Giorgos Koumendakis to a cheering, standing ovation. With a profession spanning over 5 a long time, Baltsa’s highly effective voice, dramatic depth, and magnetic stage presence earned her international acclaim, particularly for her iconic portrayal of Carmen, carried out over 60 instances on the Vienna State Opera. An everyday on the Salzburg Pageant, she additionally graced the levels of the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Covent Backyard, and the Paris Opera, in repertoire starting from Mozart and Rossini to Verdi, Bellini, and Richard Strauss.
Ms Baltsa mentioned: ‘I thank the Worldwide Opera Awards for this honour. I’m grateful for every thing that life has given me.’
The creativity and vibrancy of the US opera scene – frequently evolving in a difficult panorama – shone by way of in a standout 12 months for American firms and artists.
The Dallas Opera’s progressive Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Ladies Conductors, based to redress the gender imbalance on opera podiums and celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2025, acquired the Equal Alternatives and Impression Award. Drawing candidates from 40 nations, it stays the world’s solely programme devoted to advancing the careers of ladies conductors in opera coaching, mentorship, {and professional} improvement, with alumnae now main productions and orchestras worldwide. The Philanthropy Award honoured the important generosity and imaginative and prescient of C. Graham Berwind III, a outstanding American patron identified for championing fairness and artist improvement by way of intensive and sustained assist of OPERA America and The Metropolitan Opera, and different main cultural establishments together with Carnegie Corridor and the Dramatists Guild Basis.
American bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee, recipient of the 2025 Richard Tucker Award, was named Male Singer for performances together with Macbeth and Amfortas for Opera Frankfurt, and Wotan in Das Rheingold for the Paris Opera. He dazzled the Athens viewers with a efficiency of Scarpia’s ‘Te Deum’ from Tosca. The newly-introduced Musical Theatre award additionally went to an American firm – the Glimmerglass Pageant for its ‘superb’ latest manufacturing of Sondheim’s Sunday within the Park with George, directed by Ethan Heard.
There was additionally notable success for Czechia with Pageant of the 12 months awarded to Janáček Pageant Brno, and New Manufacturing going to Robert Carsen’s fantastical manufacturing of Janacek’s The Excursions of Mr Brouček, staged at that Pageant in a co-production by the Nationwide Theatre Brno, Staatsoper Berlin, and Teatro Actual. The New Manufacturing Award was introduced by Mr. Giorgos Agouridis, Member and Senior Authorized Advisor of the Board of Administrators of the Stavros Niarchos Basis (SNF).
Rediscovered Work, celebrating misplaced and forgotten gems which have been staged this 12 months, celebrated Baldassare Galuppi’s 1762 work L’uomo femina, a surprisingly trendy exploration of conventional gender roles which was revived by Opéra de Dijon in a co-production with Le Poème Harmonique, Théâtre de Caen and Château de Versailles Spectacles.
Château de Versailles Spectacles was additionally concerned in one other main win of the night, because the label behind the Full Opera Recording which was awarded for Lully’s tragedy Atys, performed by Leonardo García Alarcón. Solo Recording (introduced by Costis Pillavachi) went to Ann Hallenberg, claiming her third Worldwide Opera Award, for her recording of Gluck arias with The Mozartists on Signum. Conductor Ian Web page and Debbie Coates of The Mozartists collected the Award.
The Worldwide Opera Award for World Premiere celebrates the vitality of latest opera, and this season proved so wealthy in new work that the jury expanded its shortlist to 10, a testomony to opera as a dwelling, respiration artwork kind. The winner was Festen from The Royal Opera by Mark-Anthony Turnage and Lee Corridor, based mostly on the influential Danish movie that launched the avant-garde Dogme 95 motion, exemplifying the artistic ambition driving opera ahead at this time. British Ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge introduced the Award to Cormac Simms, Administrative Director of The Royal Opera.
The night introduced honours for various standout people. The Readers’ Award – Opera Journal with Opera Information, the one Award of the night time determined by the general public, was introduced to Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka. La Monnaie De Munt’s music director Alain Antinoglu was named Conductor of the 12 months, whereas Feminine Singer went to Asmik Grigorian, whose exceptional season included embodying all three heroines in Il trittico on the Paris Opera and a rapturously acquired Salome with the London Symphony Orchestra. Claus Guth, who significantly impressed the jury for his daring staging of Salome on the Metropolitan Opera, took dwelling Director, and Designer was awarded to Paolo Fantin, praised for his ingenious units in new productions together with the world premiere of Il nome della rosa at La Scala in Milan.
The Rising Star award was introduced to 2 excellent younger singers: Hugh Slicing, a BBC New Technology artist and the primary countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award, and French mezzo-soprano Adèle Charvet for a breakthrough season together with function debuts as Ariodante, Carmen and Charlotte in Werther. Supporting rising expertise continues to be a precedence for the Worldwide Opera Awards; the occasion raises funds for the Opera Awards Basis, which nurtures aspiring operatic expertise around the globe to assist obtain their profession potential.
Along with creative and inventive expertise, the Awards goal to rejoice the essential function of opera’s leaders. This 12 months’s Good Governance Award for Management in Opera was awarded to Anthony Freud recognising his excellent three-decade contribution to the worldwide opera trade. A champion of creative excellence and operational innovation, Freud has led main firms throughout the UK and US, together with Welsh Nationwide Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. As the one individual to have chaired each Opera Europa and Opera America, his strategic and visionary management has formed the worldwide opera panorama.
The Worldwide Opera Awards additionally recognise organisations striving to implement progressive, forward-thinking environmental insurance policies. From a powerful shortlist, Teatro Actual, Madrid was awarded the Sustainability Award for its set up of a walkable photovoltaic roof which generates clear vitality, changing into the primary historic constructing on the earth to combine such photo voltaic panel vitality manufacturing. The Award was introduced by Mrs. Sofia Dimtsa, Chief Company Affairs & Communications Officer, PPC Group.
The shortlist of finalists, based mostly on over 14,000 nominations submitted by opera lovers around the globe, was compiled by a world jury of performers, opera critics and directors from 20 nations and chaired by John Allison, Editor-in-Chief, Opera with Opera Information and classical music critic of The Day by day Telegraph. The winners of all classes, besides the Readers’ Award, had been determined by the jury.
John Allison, chair of the Jury, mentioned: ‘Being in Athens for the Worldwide Opera Awards is a reminder of tradition that’s each native and international. Greek mythology was one of many founding rules of opera – now over 400 years later, one of the actually worldwide of artwork varieties – and tonight we’ve got been listening to modern Greek works. This has been a becoming backdrop to our celebration of operatic excellence from around the globe in 2024-5, and I’m delighted with so many excellent winners.’
Winners acquired a long-lasting and significant trophy created because of Greek Nationwide Opera, which commissioned new statuettes that draw on the richness of Greece’s cultural heritage. The design is predicated on a placing Early Bronze Age artefact discovered within the Cyclades depicting a chic, violin-shaped figurine. Produced in collaboration with the Museum of Cycladic Artwork, the place unique collectible figurines are displayed, every reproduction will probably be crafted in marble and mounted with a customized plaque for the Worldwide Opera Awards.
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