Fatma Said, a soprano singer from Egypt, won two prizes at the 7th Leyla Gencer Voice Competition that took place 15-20 September in Istanbul, Turkey — first prize awarded by the competition jury and the audience prize.
The competition finals, which included nine singers, and award ceremony took place at the Hagia Eirene Museum in Istanbul on Thursday 20 September. The ceremony was accompanied by Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Pietro Mianiti.
Second in the competition was Ludmilla Bauerfeldt, a soprano from Brazil. Third place went to Jessica Rose Cambio, an Italian/American soprano.
Finalists receive a total monetary prize of 23.500 Euros along with other prizes and recognition. A three-month scholarship was given to Irina Ioana Baiant from Romania.
The jury, headed by Italian diva Mirella Freni, included a number of renowned figures from the international operatic scene.
Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts together with the renowned Italian Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, the Leyla Gencer Voice Competition aims to discover talented young singers from around the globe and introduce them to the operatic world.
The competition is named after Leyla Gencer (Ayşe Leyla Çeyrekgil, 1928-2008), a world-renowned Turkish soprano, and La Scala primadonna for over 25 years. Every year, first round auditions for the competition are organised in a number of cities across Europe, with the finals held in Istanbul.
This year 176 candidates competed. From 40 competitors from 22 different countries in the quarterfinals, the finals included nine competitors from Turkey, Russia, Brazil, Italy-USA, Romania, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Egypt.
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