Ukraine sweeps international opera awards

The opera houses of Lviv and Odesa (pictured) were jointly named Company of the Year prize at last night’s International Opera Awards show in Madrid’s Teatro Real.

Are they the best opera houses in the world? Of course not. But no company has survived this year and continued to perform against more devastating odds.

‘We came from cities where streets are dark, but our souls are full of light … Our music now is buzzing with generators everywhere, but this is the music of our survival, of our life,’ said Odesa director Oksana Taranenko.

French soprano Sabine Devieilhe and baritone Stephane Degout won Female and Male Singer of the year. Daniele Rustioni took the Conductor medal, despite failing to win the top job at Covent Garden.