Pärnu International Opera Music Festival PromFest and Sofia Opera and Ballet present:

The 1^st round Audition for Bulgarian singers

10^th of May at 12:00

in Sofia Opera and Ballet

The final rounds of the competition will take place in Estonia, in Pärnu
on the 14^th -19^th  of September 2021.

Main award:

The major operatic role chosen by the winner of the competition and performed in 2023.

Monetary prizes:

1^st prize – 4500 euro
2^nd prize – 3400 euro
3^rd prize – 2300 euro
Finalist – 500 euro

Age of participating singers:
- women born after September 20th, 1990
- men born after September 20th, 1987

Jury / contracts:
Sofia Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Estonian National Opera, Mannheim National Theatre, Wroclaw Opera, Anger / Nantes Opera, festival PromFest and others.

Register and rules on website of the Competition: promfest.ee/competition

DEADLINE: 3^rdof May 2021.

Conditions for the audition:

1. Singers must perform with piano accompaniment two pieces of differing character. At least one of them should be an operatic aria. The pieces must be performed from memory.
   
   
2. Registration fee 50 euro. Paid during the registration.

NB!

• If the competition is cancelled due to the Pandemic, the registration fees will be refunded (excluding transfer fees).
• If the singer selected for the second round is unable to participate due to global travel or visa restrictions, the competition will reimburse 50% of the registration fee
• The discount for singers selected for the previous competition (2019) is 50%.

3. The use of a pianist for the audition costs 30 Lev paid in cash directly to the pianist before the audition starts. Singers are allowed to bring their pianist.

Why should one participate?

This is the unique competition where the winner can ask the award which he/she wants.
PromFest has produced already nine production for the prize-winners of the previous competitions – Rigoletto, Demon, Carmen, Thais, Attila, Tsar’s Bride, Aida, La traviata, I Capulettie e i Montecchi and this years will be Il turco in Italia.

Even if you are not the winner you still have a chance to be invited to these productions. For example the 2^nd prize winner in 2013 Anna Denisova did not have a role in Aida which was produced for the winner of 2013 Jomante Šlezaite, but she had a chance to sing Violetta in 2017, because the winner of 2015 Alex Kim wanted to sing Alfredo.

You have a chance to see previous prize-winners at the opening of the Competition on the 14^th of September singing in Il turco in Italia: Sargis Bazhbeuk Melikyan as Selim, Anna Tverdova as Fiorilla, Vladyslav Tlushch as Poeta, Kamile Bonté as Zaida, plus the 2^nd prize winner from 2017 Taras Berezhansky as Geronio and the 3^rd prize winner 2015 Yuri Rostotsky as Narciso.

In the Jury are directors, casting managers and conductors – people who can affect your career by giving you contracts.

https://www.promfest.ee/competition/applications

Diana Guglina, participant at the previous Klaudia Taev Competition:

“The Klaudia Taev Competition was interesting to me, because I got acquainted with exceptional artists, who opened doors for me, on which I wouldn’t even dare to knock. The competition is very well organized, with a beautiful palette of musicians and artistic personalities in the jury. Remember that it is of no importance how far you would reach in a competition. Much more important is to be heard by intelligent ears with an open soul, which perceives your talent and wants to give you a chance. The Klaudia Taev Competition was a happy coincidence of the stars for me, because the Director of the most important opera theatre in Bulgaria – Academician Plamen Kartaloff heard me. I am infinitely thankful to him, because he believed in my talent and gave me the chance to make my debut as Elektra on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet.”