Entries came from 38 countries around the world, from North and South America to the Far East and New Zealand, for Liszt Academy’s 5th Éva Marton International Singing Competition. A total of 132 singers have applied.
Singers had to apply with video recordings of two arias, one Baroque aria, and one opera aria. Sopranos once again make up the most numerous group with 58 singers, and once again there are four countertenors among the applicants. 19 applicants have already tried previously, and two of them are competing for the third time.
The highest number of applicants (25) are from the Republic of Korea, but there were also, for example, six applications from the United States, three from Brazil, and even one applicant each from Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. There are also 15 Hungarian entrants.
The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war has broken the tradition of many entries from these countries. Although Russian and Ukrainian citizens did apply, there were only 16, most of them living abroad (e.g. in Switzerland) and submitted their applications from outside Russia or Ukraine.
The Éva Marton International Singing Competition, as a member of the WFIMC (International Federation of Music Competitions) agrees with the official statement of the Federation that:
[…]It is the responsibility of the WFIMC to prevent the instrumentalization of young musicians. With this in mind, we strongly recommend and ask our member organizations not to discriminate against and exclude any young and gifted artists from participating in their competitions. […]”
The preliminary jury, chaired by Éva Marton, will decide who will make it to the live rounds in a few weeks, which will take place between September 4-11. Winners will receive EUR 30,000 for 1st Prize, EUR 20,000 for 2nd Prize, EUR 10,000 for the 3rd Prize, and another EUR 10,000 for the special prize by Éva Marton.
Featured image via Barnabás Honéczy/MTI
