The cultural highlight of the decade and the world’s foremost opera competition, Placido Domingo’s Operalia, takes place in Cape Town from 30 October to 5 November, establishing the city as one of the world’s cultural capitals.
With Rolex as the presenting sponsor and the City of Cape Town and Southern Sun as the main local sponsors, the competition will field a successful 34 of 800 applicants, all vying for the prestigious titles and cash prizes of more than R4 million.
The competition is being hosted by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Town Opera and Artscape Theatre Centre.
Five of those are from South Africa and all studied in Cape Town. They are Nombulelo Yende (soprano), Siphokazi Molteno (mezzo-soprano), Luvo Maranti (tenor), Thando Mjandana (tenor) and Sakhiwe Mkosana (baritone).
Alvaro Domingo, vice president of Operalia, gives the rationale for staging this prestigious event in Cape Town: ‘In making the decision where to host the 30th-anniversary competition, we took into account that South Africa has an international reputation for the quality of its singers, such as previous Operalia winners Pretty Yende and Levy Sekgapane, the reputation and quality of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), the body of work of Cape Town Opera (CTO) and the versatility of the venue within the Artscape Theatre Centre, plus, needless to say, the inherent beauty of the city, of course.’
Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town’s executive mayor, was also quick to come on board, saying that Cape Town is the perfect destination thanks to its accent on culture and its gorgeous location.
He said, ‘We look forward to welcoming the organisers, candidates and international visitors who have already made arrangements to come to Cape Town, and we thank Rolex and Operalia for their understanding of the fact that we can stage this foremost opera event with panache and efficiency.’
Southern Sun is assisting with reduced accommodation costs for the contingent of contestants, jurors, coaches and two conductors, Placido Domingo, Kamal Khan and Lady Linda Davies of the KT Wong Foundation will make it possible for 80 students to attend aspects of the competition.
The competition was founded in 1993 and has helped establish the careers of many singers, like Yende, Sekgapane and Metropolitan Opera star Sonya Yoncheva.
Booking for the preliminary rounds and finals is through Artscape Dial-A-Seat at 021 421 7695, on the Computicket website here and at Computicket outlets.
There are two quarterfinals on 30 and 31 October at 3pm and 2pm, respectively, and the semi-finals on 1 November at 4pm.
Details:
- Dates: 30 October to 5 November
- Location: Artscape Theatre Centre | D.F. Malan Street, Foreshore, Cape Town
- Cost: R400 for the semi-finals on 1 November | R500 for a combination ticket to all preliminary rounds | R1 500 for the final round on 5 November
- Tickets: Computicket | Available through Artscape Dial-A-Seat at 021 421 7695
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Picture: Supplied
Instagram story picture: Artscape / Supplied
