Placido Domingo's Operalia, Royal Opera House

Operalia, “The World Opera Competition”, was founded by superstar tenor Plácido Domingo in 1993 to provide a launch platform for young singing talent. In the past 22 years it has awarded numerous young stars-in-the-making including Rolando Villázon and Joyce DiDonato. Although based in Paris, the festival's grand finale travels to a different city each year, and this year it will, for the first time, be granted at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
Open to singers of all voice types between 18 and 32, 40 finalists are chosen each year from approximately 1000 entries, and judged by a panel of ten opera directors from leading houses around the world. The competition’s record of identifying stars of the future is strong – more important than the financial rewards on offer is the opportunity to perform before the esteemed judges – and the choice of repertoire, combining show-stopping favourites and newly unearthed gems, offers an attractively tuneful programme. It makes for a scintillating display of singing talent; moreover, with no sign of Simon Cowell anywhere.