Breaking: Operalia ends in shocking indecision

Breaking: Operalia ends in shocking indecision

News

norman lebrecht

October 30, 2022

The latest edition of Placido Domingo’s Operalia competition, held in Latvia, has ended in the judges being unable to reach a clear decision, splitting their votes in a manner that benefits no-one.

Here are the so-called results:

1st Prize
Juliana Grigoryan, soprano, Armenia (pictured)
Anthony León, tenor, USA
2nd Prize
Serena Sáenz, soprano, Spain
Duke Kim, tenor, USA
Nils Wanderer, countertenor, Germany
3rd Prize
Maire Therese Carmack, mezzo-soprano, USA
Youngjun Park, baritone, South Korea
Jongwon Han, bass-baritone, South Korea

Birgit Nilsson Prize
Serena Sáenz, soprano, Spain

This is about as poor a judging outcome as we can remember.

Both of the first-prize winners are represented by Domingo’s grandson, Dominic Domingo, who works for the London agency AskonasHolt.

Comments

  • John J says:

    Actually no indecision here – the Grand Prix winners had been chosen before the start of the competition. Both are managed by co-organiser of the event, Mr Domingo and should not be really allowed to take part at all.

    Nepotism as always in Domingo’s ‘Family’ at its best.

    • Herbie G says:

      ‘At last the Dodo said, `EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes.’

    • Jordan B says:

      Did you watch the concert?

    • Sally Argento says:

      Is this actually true? That the two winners are managed by a co-organiser of Operalia? They’re both managed by Dominic Domingo – I presumed there was a connection – but I didn’t realise that Dominic Domingo actually works for Operalia itself? If so, there should genuinely be an enquiry here? Dominic Domingo works for Askonas Holt – he’s likely a family member of Domingo senior? But does he actually work for the competition?

      • Sanity says:

        He’s certainly been an Associate Producer in the past. This all seems very unfortunate indeed…

        And who were the judges this year? I haven’t been able to find a list, anywhere…

        • Bonetti Micaela says:

          Was also surprised not to be able to find anywhere the judges’ names (nor their valutations on candidates).

          Anybody knowing wether there are other music competitions (any instrument, conducting, singing) not disclosing judges’ names?

      • William D says:

        https://www.askonasholt.com/about/people/dominic-domingo/

        Just follow the link to his manager page at Askonas Holt.

        He admits to be connected to Operalia since 2012, and it shows the artists he manages including the two winners.

        I made a mistake in my previous comment. I said Dominic was his son but meant grandson.

      • Tony says:

        He is a co-organiser and helps with the selections.

        Clearly another Domingo scam, no Jury on the website, so maybe even on the panel? Who knows…with Domingos

  • JH says:

    Take a look at who manages the two first prize winners… How are we supposed to take this “competition” seriously?

  • Doretta says:

    Excuse me, did you attend the event? If not, where does your expertise come from?
    In the past it has also happened in other competitions that several participants have been awarded.
    I‘m sorry, but I don’t understand the criticism.

    • TishaDoll says:

      Are you on loan from Sra Domingo’s insipid production of La Rondine from 20 years ago at Washington National Opera

  • Jordan B says:

    The winners are determined on a point system since there are so many jury members (maybe too many – I think 12 this year). That’s why there are often ties in Operalia. I remember one year they had two 1st Prize and two 2nd Prize winners.

  • William D says:

    I agree with John. Both the the “winners” are very talented and are sure to have good careers but neither sang well enough to win over their fellow competitors.

    Dominic recently became an Artist
    Manager at Askonas Holt and recently signed both Anthony and Juliana to his roster. Juliana was signed in July and Anthony was signed at the beginning of this month.

    I was struck by Anthony in particular because of the beautiful raw colour of his voice, but unfortunately he sang Je crois entendre encore very plainly and didn’t follow any of the dynamics or artistry set forth by the composer.
    He is very young and talented but his performance didn’t deserve 1st place.

    Juliana likewise is very talented and certainly was one of best female
    Singers of the evening. Though I’m not sure she deserved 1st place but maybe 2nd place.

    It seems very obvious that Placido ,either on his own accord or at the behest of Dominic, enabled them both to win the competition for the sole purpose to further Dominic’s career as a manager.

    What better way to start your career as an artist manager than to have two Operalia winners in the same competition.

    How unfortunate for the deserving singers in the competition.

  • Jane H says:

    Both winners are represented by Placido Domingo’s grandson, who just started a career as an agent in Askonas Holt. It has been known for a long time, that the general rules often don’t apply to this competition. Despite having an application system, there have been many singers across the years who have been invited on the basis of nepotism, by private connections and trespassing the application process. But it is absolutely acceptable in this scenario because it is one person’s private event, they are allowed to do whatever they want to. What is wrong with this, is that music lovers, magazines and organisations with certain status across the world started taking this as the one truthful qualifying event for all the singers, the Olympic games for opera singers. This is wrong. Who said that this least transparent competition which is run by one person with no public mandate should be dictating what’s good and what the fashion should be in the oper world? May I remind that Placido Domingo & co are obsessed with petite women for example and since the existence of this competition they have played the mammoth role of changing the looks of the opera singers? Now we have pretty mediocre female singers who are sold to us as the best singers solely on the basis of their looks. Domingo & co are responsible for dismissing many great voices and failing to nurture the dramatic voices favouring the tiny petite women because they want to get in bed with them.

    Placido’s competition is a criminal organisation – it takes young singers, ‘creates stars’ out of them who then get to be represented by agents in Placido’s closer circle (either his own manager, a documented criminal Alessandro Ariosi, or in this case by his grandson) who then exploit these singers to make money on their commissions. The singers’ star qualities are artificially inflated and singers who are often talented, but too green and in need of serious training, are sold to the music-lovers internationally as the only stars worth listening to. This is rather harmful to those singers too. For example, the young soprano who was presented with the 1st prize yesterday lacks good training, which is heard in her vocal production, problems with linguistic and stylistic knowledge and the choice of an easy (from the technical standpoint) repertoire. She could pass for a strong student and should need further education, but she will now be sold the idea that she’s the best singer in the world and won’t settle for anything less than that. It is very sad to see.

    Who said that one person’s private event (Placido Domingo’s private competition) should actually be the international standard for opera singers and be treated almost as an institution? Why did we end up in here?!

    On the other hand, Placido is an old singer who sings terribly and conducts even worse, who still is milking the cow, who most of the world doesn’t want to do anything with apart from opera theatres in Russia, Hungary and some post soviet corrupt countries. He will continue milking it for as long as the art institutions are willing to have him. Those making the decisions to bring Placido back into these art institutions (casting directors) are all his pals, who end up being on the panel of his competition. May I also add, that most of these people aren’t qualified to do their jobs (don’t have appropriate education) and they consist of this musical mafia acting as a factory where the vendor (Operalia) makes the product and sells it in a monopolistic fashion to the market (art organisations and corrupt casting directors).

    • Ellie says:

      Really interesting comment thank you Jane.
      Outside of Operalia, can you provide any low-down on which competitions do have influence and respect in the opera world? Cardiff Singer of the World, for example – as a Brit we get told this is one of the most important – is it?! I’m always sceptical as we don’t get mainstream coverage of any others so the impression given is this is the ‘only’ one but actually there is the full circuit.

      I’m aware in these competitions, judges often know competitors directly and of course advocate for their own charges – impossible in a small world for this not to happen but it’s the lack of transparency that discredits the process. If the judges were to actively disclose their interests this would really help I think.

  • Heidi says:

    Forget it. There are much better and serious contests out there.

  • Musicman says:

    If this competition were really about discovering new singing talent, they would not let managed singers enter.

    Also, I will never understand all the FB posts from the singers involved who gush about the competition and Plácido. Did they forget that he is a sex predator who has been connected to a prostitution ring?!! How do the female singers even feel safe around him, let alone kiss his ass?!

  • Stephen Gould says:

    Clearly there is cross-fertilisation between judges at these events and the WBA, FIA, etc.

  • M2N2K says:

    It seems like in this particular case a real indecision would’ve been much less objectionable.

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