Spanish tenor Placido Domingo presented on Tuesday the latest edition of Operalia, a competition he described as the “Olympics of the opera”.
The contest showcasing young opera stars was founded in 1993, and this year, 40 singers from 17 countries, including the United States, Russia and China, are taking part.
After four preliminary rounds, the finals will be held on Saturday. Only five singers, from the soprano, mezzo-soprano and other categories of the art, will get that far.
The jury is made of up of directors from some of the world’s most prestigious operas, such as those of New York and London.
“This competition is sport. This is the Olympics of the opera,” Domingo told a news conference about the contest, which is being held in Los Angeles this year.
