The International Opera Awards has announced the shortlist for its 2019 instalment. Held in association with BBC Radio 3, the winners will be announced in a gala event at Sadler’s Wells on 29 April.
Looking first at the individual awards, South African soprano Pretty Yende (who won the readers awards in 2018) is nominated for best female singer, while Spanish countertenor Xavier Sabata is among the male nominees. For conductors, the shortlist includes both Myung-Whun Chung and Mark Wigglesworth. Katie Mitchell and David Pountney are both nominated as directors.
As for companies, London’s Royal Opera House has four nominations (chorus, new production, opera orchestra and world premiere), while Opéra de Lyon has three (chorus, education and outreach, and world premiere). For festivals, New York’s Prototype and the Ruhrtriennial both get nods.
In the world premiere category, Thomas Larcher’s Das Jagdgewehr is nominated, as is George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence. For new productions, Staatsoper Berlin are recognised for Tristan und Isolde, while Dutch National Opera are shortlisted for Jenůfa (one of two Leoš Janáček productions in this category).
Jury chair John Allison commented: “Spanning six continents, these shortlists – chosen by our international jury – reflect the truly cosmopolitan nature of the art form, and the vibrancy of work being done despite challenges faced by opera companies large and small everywhere.”
The full shortlist can be found here.