Nominations for the International Opera awards were announced on 14 January and saw opera companies, singers, directors and designers from Sydney to Sussex to St Etienne nominated, in 19 categories representing the best opera in the world last year.
A long-list of more than 1,000 nominations from critics, musicians and readers of Opera magazine was whittled down to six in each category by a jury chaired by John Allison, the monthly magazine’s editor.
English National Opera, which has had a difficult year with a 29% cut in its Arts Council funding, was strongly represented. The only UK company to be shortlisted for opera company of the year, it competes for the prize alongside Moscow’s Novaya Opera, Berlin’s Komische Oper, Austria’s Oper Graz, Brussel’s Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie and the Antwerp-based Opera Vlaanderen.
ENO also featured in the world premiere shortlist – nominated for Julian Anderson’s Thebans with its masterfully compact libretto by Frank McGuinness. Terry Gilliam’s exuberant production of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini for ENO was among the nominees for new production of the year, a category that includes Birmingham Opera Company’s radical rethinking of Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina – Khovanskygate, and the Metropolitan Opera’s Prince Igor.
The US mezzo Joyce DiDonato, who attracted worldwide attention last year when she sang the US national anthem at the MLB World Series, watched by 25 million viewers, features in two categories. Her recording of bel canto arias Stella di Napoli is shortlisted for opera recital CD of the year, and she is also among the female singer of the year nominees. Leeds-based Opera North’s ongoing work to widen its audience has been recognised with a place on the accessibility shortlist, while Welsh National Opera feature in the chorus category; their co-production of Under Milk Wood, by John Metcalf, premiered at Swansea’s Taliesin arts centre, is also one of six operas nominated in the world premiere category.
British and British-trained singers feature strongly in the young singer nominations. From the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artists programme are David Butt Philip and Justina Gringyte, while Nicky Spence and Ross Ramgobin, who performed last year with companies including ENO, English Touring Opera and Aldeburgh festival, also make the shortlist.
Jonas Kaufmann, 2013’s male singer winner, was one of eight singers on the readers’ award shortlist; among those competing for this year’s male singer award are the countertenor Iestyn Davies, who won acclaim for his performances in Handel operas at both ENO and Glyndebourne last year, and Berlioz specialist Michael Spyres.
The British designer Es Devlin, who has worked with Kanye West, Jay Z and Lady Gaga as well as in theatre and opera, is the only woman to feature on any of the director, designer or conductor shortlists, although New York-based Mary Birnbaum and Dutch director Lotte de Beer are among the newcomers nominated.
The Opera awards, the widest-ranging in the world, were first held three years ago. The international jury will be voting by secret ballot, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 April.
