In the refined and demanding world of classical music, opera singing holds an exceptional place. The “art of voice” requires perfect diction and emotion, impeccable technical mastery as well as a deep sensitivity. The opera singing competition imposes itself in this musical landscape as a rite of passage, a moment of truth where young voices - promising or already confirmed singers - come to measure themselves for the search of excellence, in a codified and vibrant framework of passion.

A lyrical singing competition, beyond its academic definition, is a noble confrontation between artists, animated by the same ideal: reaching out to the pure beauty of singing, resonating in its most accomplished form. This is neither a simple exam nor a banal competition. It is an intimate exchange of vocal expression on a scene, where the alchemy between technique, emotion and stage presence, is brought at its best. Singers then reveal fragment of themselves, in the hope of convincing a jury composed of seasoned professionals – conductors, directors,opera directors, agents and exceptional singers.

Such competitions are scheduled worldwide – from Vienna to New York ...from Ghisonaccia to Paris– and are part of a centuries-old tradition. In Corsica in particular - land of polyphony and character - certain competitions echo with the island’s culture, deeply attached to oral transmission and beauty of vocal interpretations. Here, voices rise in the heart of a Baroque convent, a sacred church or a village square, under the stars. The emotion is palpable.

To enter in a lyrical singing competition also means to facean implacable selection. The candidatesare judged on criterias as subtle asintonation, projection, the quality of the timbre, musicality, but also on their ability to embody a character acting without betraying the masterpiece’s
atmosphere and style. The chosen arias,extracts from the great repertoire – Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, Bizet, Rossini – are all amazing playing fields where the slightest approximation is instantly sanctioned.

Beyond the verdict confirmed by a prize, a distinction or aninvitation to prestigious masterclasses, it is the flow itself which can define the artists. The competition then becomes a space to listen, discover and challenge from the opinion of external listeners and viewers. It often reveals unknown talents, catching the attention from agents, programmers, directors of opera houses.

Opera singing in dedicated competitions, finds its original vocation: the one of a live, vibrant, deeply human art, delivered to the appreciation of a public. An art where all voices tell stories, where each breath becomes a promise, and where each silence before the attack of a note contains expectation, anxiety, the desire to reach a form of perfection. It is in this stress that the most intense moments were born. Some of those which forever would mark the public as well as the artists.

The lyrical singing competition becomes a mirror, a path, a mean to leverage, for all its participants. It is one of the rare moments when vocal refinement meets harshness of judgment, where singers not only sing for themselves, but also to fully exist in the eyes of the others, the lay audiences or members of the jury to the opera vocal competition.