Winners of Prestigious 'Operalia' 2025 Competition Announced

Late last night, October 26, the winners of the prestigious “Operalia” competition for young singers – founded by the legendary Plácido Domingo – were announced.
This year, Bulgaria had the honour of hosting the event. The new stars who rose from Sofia onto the world’s operatic firmament are Eka­terine Buachidze from Georgia and Mihai Damian from Romania.

“Operalia” is, without exaggeration, an institution in the world of grand opera. Each year, the competition captures the attention of the entire opera industry, as it awaits the discovery of new artists destined to be presented to the world. In the years to follow, these young singers will shine brilliantly on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses – careers that begin right here, with “Operalia”.

This year, that dream came true for a young Georgian mezzo-soprano, Eka­terine Buachidze, and a Romanian baritone, Mihai Damian, who both won first prize.

Ekaterine Buachidze - Operalia First Prize: “I feel as if I’m dreaming. I’ve felt that way since the very first day, because ‘Operalia’ is the biggest competition for opera singers, and to perform before a jury chaired by Plácido Domingo is a dream come true.
The fact that I’ve won so many awards – including the first prize – is simply astonishing. I’m so grateful to the jury, to everyone here, to the organisers. I’m just deeply, deeply thankful.”

Mihai Damian – First Prize, “Operalia”:
“It’s like winning an Olympic gold medal. I’m very happy and excited to be taking this award home to Romania, where we already have three previous Operalia winners.
I’m proud to join the pantheon of Romanian singers who have demonstrated the strength of our vocal school and our artistry – and I’m delighted to have won here, in our neighbouring Bulgaria.”

What Eka­terine and Mihai experienced last night, Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva experienced fifteen years ago. When the jury awarded her the first prize, she was still largely unknown in Bulgaria, having graduated from the Conservatoire in Geneva.
Today, fifteen years later, she is the host of “Operalia” in Bulgaria, and the first laureate ever to sit on the competition’s jury. She admits that it is “equally difficult to sing on the Operalia stage as it is to decide the fate of those who appear in the competition.”

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“Neither task is easy. Throughout the week, Plácido and I were practically singing alongside the contestants, so the physical effort was there as well.
We know what it means for them to be here before us tonight – what it takes to fight their way through the week and earn a place in the final. The emotion is immense. I honestly don’t know which is harder. At this stage of my career, it may actually be easier to sing than to judge.”

In the demanding task of judging, Sonya Yoncheva was joined by some of the world’s foremost experts on operatic voices. Practically all casting directors from the major opera houses of Europe and the United States were present in Sofia.
The Artistic Administrator of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, explained exactly how the competition’s winners are chosen.

Peter Katona – Artistic Administrator, Royal Ballet and Opera, London:
“Usually, within the first few seconds, you already know if someone is special – if there’s something that captures your attention. And in most cases, that impression doesn’t change during the audition.
Of course, there are occasions when a singer starts less convincingly but then reveals qualities and nuances as the performance unfolds.
We never discuss the contestants among ourselves – that’s toxic. Everyone thinks they know best. No one ever says, ‘I’m sorry, I have terrible taste.’ Each of us believes our opinion is valid and important.
The point system puts an end to all that – it ensures fairness. There’s no debate over whether the result is right or wrong; the marks decide. Otherwise, if everyone started arguing that one singer should be higher or lower, we’d never get anywhere.”

We fully realise the calibre of the experts on this year’s “Operalia” jury in our conversation with Jonathan Friend.He develops his criteria for operatic voices in close collaboration with one of the greatest conductors of our time, James Levine, for whom he provides singers for productions at the Metropolitan Opera.

Jonathan Friend – Longtime Artistic Administrator, Metropolitan Opera, New York:
“When you work with a great conductor, he doesn’t set explicit demands. You learn what his priorities are, and you begin to listen for those same things.
The more we worked together, the more he trusted that I understood his taste. It was never about saying, ‘I need a singer who fits exactly this mould.’ It was about priorities.
Some great artists, even the very greatest, have shortcomings – but you accept them because of what they bring elsewhere.
Some may not be brilliant musicians but are extraordinary vocalists; others may not be physical actors but convey everything through their voice.
There are singers with astonishing technical ability, and others so captivating on stage that you forgive certain mannerisms. Over thirty-six years, Jimmy and I built a mutual understanding of what the theatre truly needed.”

The Artistic Director of La Scala, Paolo Gavazzeni, came to Sofia hoping that “Operalia” might reveal the most sought-after voice in all opera houses.

Paolo Gavazzeni – Artistic Director, La Scala, Milan:
“A Verdi tenor – lyrical or heroic. It’s incredibly rare. I’ve asked many famous tenors why they’re always anxious about their voice. Baritones are cheerful, basses smoke, eat well, enjoy life – but tenors are perpetually afraid.
Once, Pavarotti told me: ‘You never know if your voice will be there or not. Even in the dressing room, five minutes before the show, you warm up, the high notes are there… then you step on stage, open your mouth, and nothing comes out. You never know what will happen in five minutes.’”

This year’s edition of “Operalia” did not quite fulfil Gavazzeni’s hopes – yet he has already selected four singers to audition at La Scala this November.

Sonya Yoncheva:
“Interestingly, what dominated the entire competition were the lower voices – mezzo-sopranos, contraltos, baritones, bass-baritones and basses.
It’s fascinating, because our industry constantly needs high voices – tenors, sopranos – and yet this year truly belonged to the lower registers.”

Yoncheva declines to speak about the effort it took to bring “Operalia” to Bulgaria. When asked, she simply said:

“I devote myself to projects that can bring something genuinely good to Bulgarian society and culture.
My only ambition is for Bulgaria to stand on an equal footing with all other nations – indeed, among the top three in the international cultural scene.
I believe that’s vitally important. We, as Bulgarians, need it. Culture is an enormous part of our identity. And as for opera – well, that goes without saying.”

“Operalia” in Bulgaria has now drawn its curtain.
For the audience, what remains is the anticipation of following – with pride and excitement – the careers of the young stars who rose from Sofia onto the world’s operatic sky.