On Sunday, 18 January at 6:00 pm, the Gran Teatre del Liceu hosted the Winners’ Concert, the final gala that brought the 63rd edition of the Tenor Viñas International Singing Contest to a close. The concert featured the competition’s top six prizewinners, selected from this year’s 16 finalists. Each singer performed two arias chosen from the repertoire that had accompanied them throughout the contest—from the auditions and the second round to the semi-final—leading up to their qualification for the final. The performances were accompanied by the Liceu Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Julio García Vico, while the Oratorio-Lied arias were accompanied by pianist Victoria Guerrero.

The gala was hosted by Ana Boadas, and the concert opened with the overture to The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by the orchestra.

The evening began with the presentation of the Oratorio-Lied Prize, awarded to soprano Elionor Martínez, who also won the 6th Prize and the Best Mozart Interpreter Award. The Catalan singer performed Franz Schubert’s lied Geheimes and Et incarnatus est (Mass in C minor, Mozart), accompanied by pianist Victoria Guerrero. Following the order of the prizes, the performances continued with Costa Rican mezzo-soprano Karla Pineda, winner of the 5th Prize and the Joyce DiDonato Award, as well as the Audience Award for Best Female Voice, who sang Acerba voluttà (Adriana Lecouvreur) and an aria from Verdi’s Il trovatore. Next, South Korean baritone Felix Park, winner of the 4th Prize, also awarded the Best Verdi Interpreter Award and the Audience Award for Best Male Voice, performed O du, mein holder Abendstern, from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, and Pietà, rispetto, amore, from Verdi’s Macbeth.

This brought the first half of the concert to a close, followed by a brief five-minute intermezzo, during which pianist Marcos Madrigal performed two piano pieces by Ernesto Lecuona—Gitanerías and Malagueña—while a video showcasing all the special prizes awarded in this edition was screened.

The second half began with Ukrainian baritone Vlad Tlushch, winner of the 3rd Prize and the Best Zarzuela Performer Award, who sang the zarzuela Madrileña bonita (La del manojo de rosas, Pablo Sorozábal) and later Largo al factotum (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini). He was followed by Ukrainian soprano Yuliia Zasimova, awarded the 2nd Prize, who performed arias by Gaetano Donizetti and Charles Gounod: Regnava nel silenzio (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Je veux vivre (Roméo et Juliette).

To bring the evening to a close, the highlight of the gala featured young Ukrainian bass-baritone Vladyslav Buialskyi, winner of the First Prize, who concluded the concert with works by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Rossini. From the Russian composer, he performed the Cavatina from the opera Aleko, and from Rossini he offered the aria Sia qualunque delle figlie (La Cenerentola), which «earned him, due to the difficulty combined with the theatrical expressiveness of the piece, an emotional ovation from the audience gathered at the Gran Teatre»—according to the concert review published in La Vanguardia by journalist Julio Hurtado.

SPONSORS AND AWARD GIVING

As is customary, the prizes in this edition were supported by various institutions and patrons.

The Oratorio-Lied Prize, offered by Andbank Private Bankers and the Fundació Francesc Viñas, as well as the 6th Prize, offered by the Cercle del Liceu, were presented by Víctor García de Gomar, Artistic Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and President of the jury.

The 5th Prize, offered by the Grup Amics del Concurs Tenor Viñas, was presented by mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova, currently appearing in Tristan und Isolde at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, on stage until 31 January.

The 4th Prize, offered by Mr Joaquim Zamacois, Mrs Patricia Malet and the Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona, and the prize awarded in memoriam of Javier Villavecchia and Marta Obregón, offered by Villasa S.L., was presented by Joan Matabosch, Artistic Director of the Teatro Real de Madrid.

The Joyce DiDonato Award, the result of the collaboration between the Houston Grand Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was presented by Colin Brush, Director of the Butler Studio, representing the American institution.

The Audience Award, chosen live through an online vote via screens and a QR code, was also presented by Ekaterina Gubanova.