On Wednesday 6 September at 20.00h, the first edition of the Viva Classic Live Vocal Competition will be held on Venlo's iconic market square. Five finalists will compete for the title of most promising opera talent of Limburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. The candidates will each present themselves with two arias, accompanied by the orchestra "The New Symphonics" conducted by Maurice Luttikhuis. The jury consists of experts from the world of opera. At the end of the evening is the award ceremony. There are several cash and development prizes. The winner receives the Willy Caron Award. The audience is also actively involved and determines the audience award. As an audience, you will be comfortably seated on a terrace of one of the surrounding restaurants. Entry is free. It is possible to order food and drinks. Even if you are not yet a passionate opera lover, this event promises to be an unforgettable evening.
Top talents from our own region
It is already clear that the audience will witness a titanic battle between promising and passionate talents aged 18 to 30 with roots in our own region. They are ready to blow over the audience and the jury with the most beautiful arias. The jury was positively surprised by the quality of the 20 candidates selected for the semi-final at the end of July in Mönchengladbach. By the way, the semi-final is more than a battle between them. There are also joint master classes, including with world-renowned soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek. The main aim is to offer these young talents additional development opportunities in their own region, on both sides of the border. Participants are enthusiastic about this new initiative.
Prizes and development opportunities
The finalists not only stand a chance of winning a cash prize but also additional development opportunities in the region. The first three places will receive a cash prize. Attached to the 1st prize is the "Willy Caron Trophy", named after the well-known opera singer from Venlo. In addition, there are several development prizes, including a role in a future Opera Compact production (Maastricht) and participation as a singer in the festive opera gala "Homage to Maria Callas" in the Theatres Krefeld and Mönchengladbach in November 2023.
Euregionalcooperation
The VCL Vocal Competition is part of a Euregional cooperation between Viva Classic Live, Theatre Krefeld-Mönchengladbach, Theatre De Maaspoort in Venlo, Opera Compact and a number of other partners in the region. Through this cross-border cooperation, they want to optimise and strengthen regional dynamics and the regional production climate for classical music and dance. With this competition, young, classically trained talent is given a stage to present itself on both sides of the border and connect more strongly with the region. This first edition is made possible by the Interreg Programme Deutschland-Nederland and co-financed by the European Union (EU) and programme partners and contributions from the business community.