Viva Classic Live
Viva Classic Live is organising the second edition of the VCL singing competition for young opera talent up to 30 years old with roots in Limburg or North Rhine-Westphalia this summer. The grand finale will take place on 11 September 2024 with a large open-air concert with orchestra and project choir on Venlo's Oude Markt. The candidates will each present themselves with two arias, accompanied by the orchestra "The New Symphonics" conducted by Federico Santi. Thus, this project gives young, classically trained talent a stage to present themselves on both sides of the border and connect more strongly with the region.
Cash prizes and development opportunities
There are various cash prizes and development opportunities for the finalists. The first three places will receive cash prizes. Attached to the 1st prize is the "Willy Caron Trophy", named after the well-known opera singer from Venlo. In addition, finalists have a chance to win various development prizes, including a role in a future Opera Compact production, selection for the Operastudio of Theater Krefeld-Mönchengladbach and various performances and master classes.
Singing competition
Candidates can register until 20 June for the first online selection round based on two video recordings. The second round consists of a live audition for a selection of up to 20 participants on 1 or 2 July at Theatre Mönchengladbach. In addition to the audition, candidates will be offered two master classes in singing and stagecraft. The finalists will present themselves on Wednesday 11 September at an open-air concert with orchestra "The New Symphonics" in front of the historic Venlo City Hall. The jury consists of Andreas Wendholz, opera director of Theater Krefeld-Mönchengladbach, Detlef Soelter, Stage director-Set designer from Berlin and Fenna Ograjensek, soprano and business director of Opera Compact. The jury will be chaired by Sef Thissen, baritone and initiator of Viva Classic Live.
Project choir
This year, this will be expanded to include a project choir for practised amateur singers from both sides of the border. The choir will rehearse and perform three choral works: The Chorus of Hope from Smetana's The Sold Bride, the Slave Chorus from Verdi's Nabucco and a contemporary choral work from Ukraine. By choosing the choral works, we want to reflect on the current suffering of war around the world and in Ukraine in particular. This in the context of 40 years of twinning between the cities of Krefeld and Venlo and, more recently, the Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi. Registration is possible until 20 May. The first of six rehearsals will start on 1 June.
Euroregional cooperation
The opera competition and project choir are an initiative of Stichting Viva Classic Live in cooperation with Theatres Maaspoort and Krefeld-Mönchengladbach, Opera Compact and Sidera. It is partly made possible by Venlo municipality, Cultuurfonds Limburg, De Scheuten Foundation, Systemec and the Euregio RMN Interreg programme.
For more information and competition rules, see the website www.vivaclassiclive.nl