Domingo Brings Operalia to Shanghai for the First Time

World-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo has brought "Operalia" to Shanghai for the first time. Founded in 1993, the opera competition aims to discover and help launch the careers of promising young singers.

Thirty-four young singers from more than 10 countries and regions, including five Chinese, gathered at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music for the competition.

After the quarterfinals and semifinals, the finals will be held on November 1 at the Shangyin Opera House. Bulgarian conductor Nayden Todorov and Domingo will hold the batons, with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra accompanying.

The jury in Shanghai brings together senior opera administrators and casting directors from La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in the United Kingdom, the Dutch National Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

Operalia is open to singers aged 18 to 32 from around the world. In 1997, Chinese baritone Liao Changyong, then 28 and now president of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, won first prize at Operalia in Tokyo, earning Domingo's appreciation. His career also received much support from the maestro.

Liao described competing that year as "one of the best decisions of my life". In addition to hosting Operalia, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music has also appointed Domingo as an Honorary Professor of the conservatory and Honorary President of the Shangyin Opera House.

After Liao, Chinese singers such as He Hui, Yang Guang, Yu Guanqun, Wang Yunpeng, Li Ao and Bu Le have also left their names on Operalia.

In addition to traditional opera, the competition includes a Zarzuela category (a Spanish form of operetta).

Traditional opera tends to be sung-through, with the drama carried almost entirely by continuous music. A Zarzuela, by contrast, is built on a framework of spoken scenes interleaved with musical numbers. This spoken element gives Zarzuela a different dramatic rhythm and a more direct, conversational intimacy.

Domingo's parents were both Zarzuela singers, and the maestro himself began his career singing Zarzuela. This time in Shanghai, vocal music lovers will have the good fortune of hearing young talents from around the world perform this genre, which Domingo is extremely fond of.

The finals will be livestreamed on the official WeChat accounts of the Shangyin Opera House and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.