The Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition crowned Maximiliano Danta
Maximiliano Danta, the Uruguayan countertenor, was awarded the First Prize and the Critics Prize. He also obtained a contract with the Opéra Royal – Château de Versailles Spectacles offered by the Chair of the international jury, Mr. Laurent Brunner.
Two prizes went also to the second-ranked singer, Czech countertenor Vojtěch Pelka, who was given also the Audience Prize. On the third step of the podium is Italian mezzo-soprano Ester Ferraro.
Armenian soprano Arpi Sinanyan got the prize offered by Soroptimist Club as the youngest singer besides a scholarship that soprano Cristina Curti gave her on behalf of the Sicily International Music Festival and Competition which taking place in Noto.
During the concert, also the other finalists, Israelian countertenor Lidor Ram Mesika and South Korean soprano Younji Yi, received warm support and applauses.
Operabase offered the winners of the first, second and third prize a professional profile on their portal for one year plus favourable conditions to the other finalists.
The final concert on 27 September at Teatro Titano was presented by Mario Acampa and broadcast live worldwide on Ameria Radio (also thanks to the internationality of the members of the jury and singers). At the end of the performances, soprano Anna Kasyan, who won the first edition of the Competition in 2005, was appointed Ambassador of the Fondazione Renata Tebaldi at the end of an interview with music critic Roberta Pedrotti.
This first edition entirely dedicated to Baroque music in a competition which started 20 years ago, was celebrated by a special postage stamp dedicated to Renata Tebaldi put on the stamps issued in 2014 on the 10th anniversary from the death of the great soprano and showing Tebaldi with the Teatro alla Scala, Teatro di San Carlo and Teatro Titano in the background.
The programme of the final concert
Alessandro Scarlatti
Simphony – Il giardino d’amore
Maximiliano Danta, countertenor – Uruguay
Asostino Steffani – Niobe, Regina di Tebe – Inopportuno arrivo
Ester Ferraro, mezzo-soprano – Italy
Claudio Monteverdi – L’incoronazione di Poppea – Addio, Roma
Lidor Ram Mesika, countertenor – Israel
Claudio Monteverdi – L’incoronazione di Poppea – E pur io torno qui
Younji Yi, soprano – South Korea
Georg Friedrich Händel – Giulio Cesare in Egitto – Da tempeste il legno infranto
Vojtěch Pelka, countertenor – Czech Republic
Georg Friedrich Händel – Alessandro Severo – Salda quercia, in erta balza
Arpi Sinanyan, soprano – Armenia
Henry Purcell – Dido and Aeneas – When I am laid in earth
Ester Ferraro, mezzo-soprano – Italy
Nicola Porpora – Germanico in Germania – Qual turbine che scende
Maximiliano Danta, countertenor – Uruguay
Leonardo Vinci – Artaserse – Fra cento affanni e cento
Younji Yi, soprano – South Korea
Johann Sebastian Bach – Johannes-Passion – Zerfließe, mein Herze, in Fluten der Zähren
Lidor Ram Mesika, countertenor – Israel
Georg Friedrich Händel – Orlando – Cielo! Se tu il consenti
Vojtěch Pelka, countertenor – Czech Republic
Geminiano Giacomelli – La Merope – Sposa, non mi conosci
Arpi Sinanyan, soprano – Armenia
Georg Friedrich Händel – Joshua – Oh! Had I Jubal’s lyre
Ensemble Dolce Concento – Conductor M° Nicola Valentini.