The final of the Christmas edition of the Musicum Laude International Bel Canto Singing Competition will be held in Debrecen

Vienna, Oradea and Debrecen will host the Christmas edition of the Musicum Laude International Bel Canto Singing Competition, with the final scheduled to take place in Debrecen on December 21, the organisers announced.

According to the announcement, applications opened on October 12 and will remain open until December 1. The competition will begin with a video-based preliminary round from December 1 to 7, judged by a panel of vocal coaches. The list of selected candidates will be published on December 7.

Those who advance must attend the semi-final and audition either in Vienna on December 19 or in Debrecen on December 20, depending on which city is closer to their home.

The final and opera gala will take place on December 21 at the Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen. The competition has a total prize fund of €30,000.

The international jury consists of casting directors and managers from opera houses, who can help young talents establish connections and build professional networks, the organisers said.

A masterclass will also be held for participants in Oradea from December 14 to 18, led by a world-renowned singing teacher. Places are limited. Active participants can take individual 45-minute lessons at a cost of €100 per session, with a maximum of five sessions per competitor. Passive participants may attend all sessions, the organisers added.

They noted that Oradea has a long-standing tradition of bel canto teaching and has produced numerous internationally renowned singers.

Since the competition was launched in the Romanian city in the Partium region in 2021, its history has featured opera house casting directors, managers and internationally acclaimed star singers, including Ioan Holender, Alexandru Agache, Gyöngyi Lukács, Andrea Rost and Ionel Pantea, the organisers said.

The competition’s artistic director is Levente Molnár, a baritone and recipient of the Liszt Prize. The organisers are MOL-OPER Musical Arts Limited Partnership, the Ars Start For You Arts Foundation – Our Classical Values, and Partium Christian University in Oradea.