COMING SOON • POFIVC'25 •

COMING SOON • POFIVC'25 •

Welcome, Friends! Our 2025 events are coming soon.

We’re thrilled to announce that the 2025 competition, like in previous years, will feature two distinct tracks! Contestants from around the world will submit their materials online for the Qualifying Round. If selected for the Semi-Finals, one can choose to compete either Live in New York City, Virtually Worldwide, or both—each platform offering separate prizes, maximizing opportunities for every participant.

9th Annual Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition + Professional Casting Auditions

Our competition has a rich history of success stories. Last year, we awarded our largest prize pool to date—$50,000 in prizes, special awards, and contracts! Beyond the financial rewards, the impact on artists' careers has been remarkable. Over the past two years, as a direct result of the international jury that we curate, we can confirm that numerous winners have secured major international professional contracts and made role debuts with prestigious companies such as Bayerisches Staatsoper, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Stadttheater Bern, Opera Nacional de Chile, Danish Royal Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and New York City Opera. Many winners have also signed with top management agencies like IMG Artists and Premiere Artists. Additionally, others have been accepted into elite young artist programs, including Opernhaus Zürich, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the San Francisco Opera's Merola and Adler Programs. Our alumni have gone on to achieve even greater success, winning international competitions like Operalia, the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and the Viñas Competition.

This year, we’re proud to again host an esteemed jury of International Casting Directors, Young Artist Program Directors, Agents, and Industry Influencers. What sets our competition apart from any other in New York is that our jury includes these international casting directors who are actively casting roles for major productions, program directors offering spots in prestigious young artist programs, and agents actively seeking new talent to add to their rosters.

As the only New York-based competition with such a truly international reach, world-class casting opportunities, and no age or citizenship restrictions, your career can be launched right here—and we’re excited to hear you!

Jury

KEN BENSON
President - Ken Benson Artists, Consultant - The Juilliard School,
former Vice President - Columbia Artist Management

BEATRICE BENZI
Vocal Coach & Accompanist - Teatro alla Scala di Milano,
Accademia Teatro alla Scala, IYDV Institute for Young Dramatic Voices

DANIEL BIAGGI
Interim Artistic Director - Portland Opera, Artistic Advisor - Atkins Young Artist Program Mariinsky Theater, former General Director - Palm Beach Opera

RICHARD BONYNGE
Conductor - Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Opera Australia,
Decca Recording Artist, Commander Awardee - The British Empire

MARIO CORRADI
Opera Director - Torre del Lago Festival, Michigan Opera Theater,
University of Notre Dame, Yale University, Catholic University of Milan

BARBARA FRITTOLI
Soprano - Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala di Milano,
Royal Opera House, Vienna Staatsoper, Decca Recording Artist

WA WA HAO
Tenor - Opera Hong Kong, Royal Academy of Music, Director - China Forbidden City Hong Hua Culture Ltd, Premiere Opera Foundation

ERIC MARGIORE
Tenor - San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Founder - Premiere Opera Foundation, Premiere Opera Vocal Arts Institute, Premiere Artists Management

JACK MASTROIANNI
Consultant - IMG Artists, Board Director - Georg Solti Accademia,
former Vice President - Columbia Artist Management

GERALD MARTIN MOORE
Vocal & Artistic Consultant - Glyndebourne Festival, Carnegie Hall Weill Music
Institute Song Studio, Curtis Institute of Music, Decca Records

CONSTANTINE ORBELIAN
Artistic Director - Armenian National Opera Yerevan, Chief Conductor - Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Delos Records, Grammy Award Nominee, former Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic

GIOVANNI PASOTTO
Managing Director - Centro Studi Italiani Italian Language Institute

JOAN PATENAUDE-YARNELL
Soprano - San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, New York City Opera
Voice Teacher - Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music

EVE QUELER
Artistic Director Emeritus - Opera Orchestra of New York,
Opera Honors Awardee - National Endowment for the Arts

LENORE ROSENBERG
Artistic Administrator - Spoleto Festival USA,
former Associate Artistic Administrator - Metropolitan Opera

Roles

Papageno (Zauberflöte)

Ilia (Idomeneo)

Macduff (Macbeth)

Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)

Banco (Macbeth)

Violetta (Traviata)

Alfredo (Traviata)

Germont (Traviata)

Rigoletto (Rigoletto)

Duca (Rigoletto)

Riccardo (Ballo)

Ulrica (Ballo)

Amelia (Ballo)

Ford (Falstaff)

Mrs. Quickly (Falstaff)

Tonio (Pagliacci)

⁠Andrea Chenier (Andrea Chenier)

Carlo Gerard (Andrea Chenier)

Maddalena (Andrea Chenier)

Romeo (Romeo et Juliette)

Charlotte (Werther)

Carmen (Carmen)

Hoffmann (Les Contes d’Hoffmann)

Hagen (Götterdämmerung)

1.⁠ ⁠Norn (Götterdämmerung)

2.⁠ ⁠⁠Norn (Götterdämmerung)

3.⁠ ⁠⁠Norn (Götterdämmerung)

Italienischer Sänger (Rosenkavalier)

Sophie (Rosenkavalier)

Lohengrin (Lohengrin)

⁠Telramund (Lohengrin)

Paul (Die tote Stadt)

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to take the next step in your career and be part of one of the most prestigious vocal competitions in the world. Applications will be open soon.

  • Compete in a prestigious, internationally recognized competition

  • Receive expert feedback from an esteemed jury of opera professionals

  • Win fully funded travel and accommodations to compete in New York

  • Gain valuable exposure to leading opera institutions and talent managers