Lousada had an intense and culturally rich week with the 3rd edition of the Lousada International Lyric Singing Competition – CICLO , which took place between the 2nd and 7th of July at the Romanesque Interpretation Center.
Soprano Sílvia Sequeira was the big winner of the 3rd edition of CICLO, winning the 1st prize with a monetary value of €6,000 and the title of Best Portuguese Performer, awarded by Orquestra Clássica do Centro . The singer has established herself on the international operatic scene, joining the prestigious Dutch National Opera Studio , an institution dedicated to the training and promotion of young operatic talents.
“ Choosing the winner was a very difficult task because the Competition was full of excellent voices and the overall high level of the finalists did not make our work any easier. ” - José Corvelo, artistic director of CICLO
The 2nd prize was awarded to mezzo-soprano Su Rongna , from Mongolia, who has won several prizes in international competitions, and the 3rd prize went to the Spanish soprano Cármen Larios Caparros , who is finishing her singing studies at the Superior Conservatory of Music from Castilla y León.
The title of Best Accompanying Pianist went to João Pedro da Costa Sousa , who is studying for a master's degree in piano at the Escola Superior de Música de Freiburg, in Germany. Mezzo-soprano Cláudia Ribas was awarded the public prize. He has been a member of the Frankfurt Opera Studio since 2022 and this year obtained a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association Frankfurt to continue his studies.
As no male contestants qualified for the finals, this year the award for Best Portuguese Performer was not awarded.
Diversity of talents
Organized by the Associação de Cultura Musical de Lousada (ACML), CICLO had the significant participation of Portuguese singers (13), followed by representatives from South Korea (7) and China (5). In total, singers from 14 nationalities were present, including Canada, Slovakia, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Poland and England. This event stands out as the only opera singing competition in the north of Portugal, which confirms its role in promoting vocal virtuosity at an international level.
Competition Stages and Jurors
Under the artistic direction of José Corvelo, this is an event that aspires to become the biggest singing competition in Portugal in the medium and long term. Throughout the qualifiers, each performer presented six opera arias, memorized and in the original language, demonstrating a high level of preparation and talent.
The high quality of the interpretations presented by the candidates, aged between 18 and 36, was evaluated by a jury made up of prominent figures in the international musical scene, including Maestro Cesário Costa, Soprano Ana Paula Russo , vocal consultant at ProART, the programmer and founder and artistic director of ProART André Cunha Leal , Baritone Ettore Nova and Tenor Aquiles Machado.
Parallel Cultural Events
In addition to the qualifiers, semi-final and final, the CICLO provided moments of reflection and sharing, with the “Conversations with Jorge Rodrigues”, “Ópera é Revolution”, the “Conversation on the Decentralization of Cultural Production” and the presentation by André Cunha Leal, “Building Smart Bridges for the Artistic Community”, enriching the experience of all participants and the public.
In the year that ACML celebrates its 50th anniversary, CICLO stands as a testament to the institution's commitment to promoting excellence in operatic singing and providing a platform for young talents to shine. The competition asserts itself as a cultural event of reference at national and international level, contributing to the dynamism and projection of the city of Lousada and the surrounding region, reinforcing its role as a cultural and artistic hub of excellence.
You can find out more about the CYCLE at the links:
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