40th Maria Callas International Grand Prix – Opera

An international competition dedicated to the Opera – the sublime art of the human voice.
Forty-seven young operatic singers from all over the world compete in the Grand Prix.

Maria Callas – 40 Years Later

Maria Callas is incontestably a great Greek artist who left an indelible mark on opera. Dazzling, unsurpassed, she set the bar high for all later operatic artists, for all those who love opera. For the entire world, recognisingeven today in her legend, in her resounding presence, the quintessence of beauty, talent, hard work, commitment to a vision.

Throughout the world, Maria Callas is regarded as the ultimate performer, the generous diva. For the Athenaeum International Cultural Centerand its founders, Louli Psichouli and Anna Koukouraki, Callas was the inspiration for the great annual internationally acclaimed Maria Callas Grand Prix for the Opera and Piano (on alternating years). This year, the 40th edition of Maria Callas Grand Prix – Opera is taking place Sunday 3 through to Sunday 10 December 2017at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, in collaboration with the Greek National Opera, with which Callas gave her earliest performances– for the first time without the physical presence of LouliPsichouli.

The 40th Maria Callas International Grand Prix – Opera features 47 shortlisted contestants from the U.S.A., U.K., France, Belgium, Poland, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Mongolia, China, South Korea, and Greece.

A national qualifying competition was held for the second time in Beijing, China, to select the young operatic singers to participate in the 40th Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens.

The international jury consists of:

• Cheryl Studer, American dramatic soprano, one of the most sought-after performers in the world's foremost opera houses; professor of voice, scenic art, and stage performance at the University of Würzburg
• Renato Bruson, one of the world’s most prominent contemporary opera performers; professor,Accademia Teatro alla Scala, Milan
• Peter Katona, German opera and classical music critic; since 1983, he is the director of programming and casting at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
• Stephen Langridge, British theatre specialist and theatrical director(including two GNOproductions), now artistic director of the Gothenburg Opera,Sweden
• Miltos Logiadis, internationally acclaimed conductor, artistic director of the Athens Concert Hall, professor of conducting at the Ionian University, Greece
• Eva Marton, award-winning Hungarian singer and educator, with extensive discography and acclaimed performances
• Silvana Sintow, German art manager; she has studied music, musicology, and performing arts, and has worked with major festivals, opera houses, operatic artists and conductors
• Dmitry Vdovin, Russian opera critic, singer, and professor; since 2009, he is professor of vocal art and head of the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Programme
• Aris Christofellis, the first contemporary male soprano to perform the 18th-century repertoire for castrati internationally; a musicologist and classical voice teacher in Greece and other countries; member of the Board of Directors, Athenaeum International Cultural Centre. The Athenaeum International Cultural Centre and the Greek National Opera – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center invite music lovers to attend two qualifying rounds with piano accompaniment (free admission for pass holders), as well as the third, final round of the 40th Maria Callas International Grand Prix – Opera, in which the young contestants for the Grand Prix are accompanied by the Greek National Opera Orchestra conducted by Nikos Vasiliou, and the award ceremony following the strict selection process by the international jury.

Awards

Women:

• Grand Prix: Gold Medal, 10,000€, Diploma, and concert organisation by Athenaeum in Greece and other countries
• Second Prize: Silver Medal, 5,000€, Diploma
• Third Prize: Silver medal, 3,000€, Diploma

Men:

• Grand Prix: Gold Medal, 10,000€, Diploma, and concert organisation by Athenaeum in Greece and other countries
• Second Prize: Silver Medal, 5,000€, Diploma
• Third Prize: Silver medal, 3,000€, Diploma

Organisation / Information: ATHENAEUM International Cultural Centre

Tel. +30 2103211987 (or -49, or-55)
www.grandprixmariacallas.com/
www.athenaeum.com.gr/
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