Yuriy Yurchuk takes 3rd Prize at the Queen Sonja Competition

Yuriy Yurchuk (far left & right), Lise Davidsen, Queen Sonja and Elsa Dreisig
(Photo: Marius Nyheim Kristoffersen)

Soprano Lise Davidsen took the €40,000 top prize The Queen Sonja International Music Competition, making her the first Norwegian to win the competition since barihunk Audun Iversen in 2007. Although, three baritones made it to the Final 5, only Ukrainian Yuriy Yurchuk finished in the money, taking the €5,000 3rd Prize. French soprano Elsa Dreisig took the €10,000 2nd Prize.

For a limited time you can watch the finals online at NRK. 

American Barihunk Ed Parks takes 3rd at Operalia

Ed Parks performing at Operalia

American barihunk Ed Parks walked away with 3rd Prize and $10,000 at this year's Operalia Competition in London. He performed Rossini's Largo al factotum from the Barber of Seville in the final round.  Barihunks Tobias Greenhalgh from the U.S. and Bongani Justice Kubheka from South Africa also made it to the final round, where eleven singers competed.

Hunkentenor Ioan Hotea won over the hearts of viewers and judges

Norwegian dramatic soprano Lise Davidsen, who sang Dich, teure Halle from Wagner's Tannhäuser took 1st Prize for women. She also won the Audience Prize for female singers. Romanian hunkentenor Ioan Hotea, who sang Ah! mes amis from Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment took the top male singer prize. He also won the Zarzuela Prize for male singers. Darren Peni Pati took 2nd Prize for male singers, while Hyesang Park and Noluvuyiso Mpofu finished 2nd and 3rd respectively for women.

Other prizes included a Zarzuela Prize for South Korean soprano Hyesang Park and and Audience Prize for Darren Pene Pati.