Soprano Louise Alder has qualified for the final round of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017. Adler performed pieces by Handel, Massenet and Stravinsky in the competition’s third preliminary round.
Adler will compete alongside Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar (Mongolia) and Anthony Clark Evans (US), who qualified from the first and second rounds respectively. One final finalist will be selected on Thursday, 15 June.
The 30-year-old Londoner has also qualified for the Song Prize Final, where she joins Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, Iurii Samoilov (Ukraine), Catriona Morison (Scotland) and John Chest (US). The Song Prize Final takes place on 16 June.
“I’m delighted, and I can’t believe it because the other contestants were absolutely amazing,” said Adler, who added that her fellow competitors were “really inspirational.”
Almost 400 singers have taken part in this year’s event, whittled down to just 20 finalists who have been competing in Cardiff since 13 June. The jury for the final includes chairman and director of Welsh National Opera David Pountney, mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry, soprano Sumi Jo, baritone Wolfgang Holzmair and conductor Anu Tali.
The final concert at St David’s Hall, hosted by Petroc Trelawny and Angel Blue, will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio Wales from 7:30pm on 18 June.