Saturday, 10th January at 7:00 p.m. took place the opening ceremony of the 63rd edition of the Tenor Viñas Competition at the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Hall.

The event was attended by several institutional authorities. Mr. Xavier Marcé, Councillor for Culture and Creative Industries, presided over the ceremony. Afterwards, Valentí Oviedo, as the official speaker, paid tribute to the tenor Francesc Viñas, recalling his origins and the path that led him to international recognition, becoming one of the greatest tenors of his time. He also highlighted the pillars on which the competition is founded, as well as the vision Viñas imagined for it, and emphasized the commitment of the Gran Teatre del Liceu to the competition. He concluded by praising the collaboration among the participating theatres and reaffirming the Liceu’s determination to remain the stage for the great voices of the Tenor Viñas Competition.

Also in attendance were Albert Batlle, Third Deputy Mayor, and city councillors Víctor Martín, from the People’s Party Municipal Group, and Joan Rodríguez, from the Junts per Barcelona Municipal Group.

Representing the Tenor Viñas Competition were Mr. Miquel Lerín, and Arik Bellido, and Marc Mayral - members of the competition’s youth committee. Representing the Gran Teatre del Liceu were Mr. Salvador Alemany, President of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation; Mr. Valentí Oviedo, General Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu; Mr. Víctor Garcia de Gomar, Artistic Director of the theatre; and Mr. Francisco Gaudier, President of the Cercle del Liceu and of the Amics Tenor Viñas group.

The inauguration concluded with an aria recital by soprano Sara Blanch, accompanied by pianist Vanessa García Diepa. The performance stood out for its outstanding artistic level, exceeding the audience’s expectations thanks to the impeccable technical and interpretative execution of both the singer and the pianist.

The arias performed were: Una voce poco fa (Rossini); Nel sen mi palpita (Mozart); Qui la voce sua soave (Bellini); En el Vallespir (Martínez Valls); Sa main depuis hier (Thomas); Ah tardai troppo… O luce di quest’anima (Donizetti); and Me llaman la primorosa (Giménez). Finally, the soprano offered an encore for all attendees, a piece that, as she herself said, “needs no introduction”: O mio babbino caro, by Puccini.