- The contest ran as a hybrid competition, with the ten qualifiers selected in a virtual preliminary round invited to convene at the famous Süreyya Opera House from November 26-28, 2024 for the final phase
- Two leading lights in the field – Rosemary Joshua, Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera Studio, and Eva Pons of Komische Oper Berlin – joined the jury for the first time this year.
- The winners showcased their abilities at the final gala performance at the Süreyya Opera House on November 28, 2024.
Turkish names are an increasingly common sight these days on the programs of Europe’s leading opera and classical music companies – and not before time, given the tremendous variety and outstanding quality of the Turkish music scene. It was this musical strength that inspired the Siemens Arts Program more than two decades ago to launch the annual Siemens Türkiye Opera Contest and help rising Turkish opera stars gain the opportunity they deserve in the highly competitive European market.
“Over the years, the Siemens Opera Contest has become firmly established as an essential platform for rising young opera stars in Türkiye,” explains Stephan Frucht, Artistic Director of the Siemens Arts Program. “We want not just to advance careers, but also to help safeguard the future of opera as a thriving art form and boost its relevance to society in the country. Performers get to work with our stellar contest jury opens doors to the leading opera companies in Europe, and this direct interaction with prominent figures in the field gives contestants the chance to forge valuable contacts and tap into new career opportunities in different countries and cultures.”
Stellar pan-European jury
Two new jury members recruited for the 26th edition of the contest underline the great significance that Siemens attaches to the international element of the contest: Soprano Rosemary Joshua has served as the Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera Studio since its establishment in 2018, while Komische Oper Berlin’s Eva Pons is offering winner first name last name the chance to skip the preliminary selection process and go straight to auditions in Berlin.
Burak Bilgili, who won the inaugural contest in 1998, also sat on the jury, which again included Caner Akgün, Director of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (iDOB) and winner of the Siemens Opera Contest 2007, and Serhan Bali, baritone, classical musical researcher and Editor in Chief of magazine Andante Classical Music as well. Stephan Frucht reprised his regular role as president of the jury.
Competition and cultural diversity
One of the unique features of the Siemens Türkiye Opera Contest has always been that performers can enter with both Western and Turkish repertoires. Contestants began by presenting their performance in the virtual preliminary round of the hybrid contest process. The ten finalists selected at this stage were then invited to Istanbul on November 26-27 to appear and perform before the jury in person.
Final gala performance and €7,000 in prizes for the winners
The winner chosen at the end of this year’s intensive selection process was 23-year old soprano Güneş Uluçay, who left jury members especially impressed with her expressive stage presence and vocal excellence.
The jury also particularly enjoyed the performances of the second place finishers soprano Nazlican Karakaş and bass Berke Tükenmez and third place finisher tenor Emre Parlar. Uluçay, Karakaş, Tükenmez and Parlar received prizes in cash and in kind with a total value of €7,000.
The winners’ achievements were celebrated at a grand final gala performance at the Süreyya Opera House, which opened in 1927 as the first opera house on the Asian side of Istanbul. |
