Opera Chic

Operalia 2013: The Winners

(Aida Garifullina)

Everyone's a winner (actually, only twelve official finalists are winners) at Plácido Domingo's Operalia, which wrapped its 20th anniversary competition last night in Verona, Italy. Here are the names to remember:

• CulturArte Award: $10,000 to 26-year-old Belarus tenor Vladimir Dmitruk

• Don Plácido Domingo Sr. Award for Zarzuela: $10,000 to 27-year-old American tenor Benjamin Bliss

• Pepita Embil Domingo Zarzuela Award: $10,000 to 29-year-old South Korean soprano Hae Ji Chang

• Birgit Nilsson Remembrance Award (for German Wagner/Strauss Rep): $15,000 each to 31-year-old English contralto Claudia Huckle and 27-year-old American soprano Tracy Cox

• Male and Female Third Award: $10,000 each to 30-year-old American soprano Kathryn Lewek and 29-year-old American tenor Zach Borichevsky

• Male and Female Second Award: $20,000 each to 29-year-old French soprano Julie Fuchs and 28-year-old Italian baritone Simone Piazzola.

• Male and Female First Award: $30,000 each to 25-year-old Russian soprano Aida Garifullina and 25-year-old Chinese bass-baritone Ao Li

• Audience Award: Rolex watches to 30-year-old American soprano Kathryn Lewek and 28-year-old Italian baritone Simone Piazzola

Next year's competition is in Los Angeles (so everyone's a winner because a free trip to Los Angeles is not a bad consolation prize.)


(Zach Borichevsky)

(Julie Fuchs)

(Simone Piazzola)

(Kathryn Lewek)

(Ao Li)

(Domingo)

Team Mongolia at Operalia

One of the finalists in the Dominger's Operalia, currently taking place in Beijing at the National Center for the Performing Arts, is a young Mongolian baritone, E.Amartuvshin.

According to the Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera & Ballet, that's the dude above, and if it's the same identity as this flickr stream, he's into gangster living -- fast cars, sleek gadgets and penthouses. Thug life.