Click here to see photos from the opening ceremony and the awards ceremony of 2001!


P R E S S R E L E A S E 2001


NORWEGIAN, RUSSIAN AND GERMAN WINNERS
AT THE 2001 QUEEN SONJA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION FOR SINGERS

From the 16th to the 23rd of August, forty young talented opera singers from 16 nations congregated in Oslo, Norway. They participated in the 2001 Queen Sonja International Music Competition for Singers. The competition is arranged every other year and is a co-operative venture between the Norwegian National Opera, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. This year there were over 200 applicants from 40 nations.

Norway's Minister of Culture, Ms. Ellen Horn, officially opened the competition at a prestigious opening ceremony, and Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway personally presented the awards after the finals concert which was televised by the national broadcasting network (NRK).

This year's competition jury consisted of several renowned personalities from the international opera world: Menno Feenstra (the Netherlands - chairman of the jury and casting director of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Ingrid Bjoner (Norway), James King (USA), Bjørn Simensen (Director the the Norwegian Opera), Dame Joan Sutherland (Australia), Regina Resnik (USA), Hans Sotin (Germany) and Luca Targetti (casting director for La Scala Opera House, Italy).

The first prize went to Marita Kvarving Sølberg, a 25 year-old soprano from Norway with limited previous international performing experience. This was the first year in the competition's history that a Norwegian singer has reached the finals. As first place winner, Ms. Sølberg has received a cash prize amounting to approximately US$ 14000, and will be offered concert engagements with the following institutions: the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Concert Institute, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Marita Kvarving Sølberg received additional cash awards amounting to US$ 2000 for best Norwegian contestant and best rendition of a work by Edvard Grieg.

Second prize went to Galina Sidorenko (mezzo-soprano) from Russia, and third prize went to Yorck Felix Speer (bass-baryton) from Germany. The second prize winner received US$ 8000 and the third prize winner received US$ 5000. One of the winners will be offered a concert engagement with the Norwegian Opera.

Lars Flæten, Executive Director of the competition, says: "I think we are all very impressed by the quality of this year's contestants. Her Majesty Queen Sonja was very pleased with the concert, and the Norwegian soprano who won the competition received a long standing ovation by the audience which filled the concert hall to its maximum."

It was quite a hectic week for Queen Sonja, whose private collection was on display at the Hovikodden Art Museum and whose son, Crown Prince Haakon, was to be married to his beloved Mette-Marit two days after the awards ceremony. The winner of the competition, Marita Kvarving Sølberg, performed with the Norwegian Opera Orchestra and Choir in an outdoor concert commemorating the royal couple just hours after the wedding ceremony in Oslo.


INTERNATIONAL PRESS INVITED TO GALA CONCERT AND AWARDS CEREMONY, AND PHOTO SESSION WITH THE HONORABLE QUEEN SONJA OF NORWAY

From the 16th to the 23rd of August, fifty young talented opera singers will congregate in Oslo, Norway. They will participate in the 2001 Queen Sonja International Music Competition for Singers. The competition is arranged every other year and is a cooperative venture between the Norwegian National Opera, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. The competition's participants, who come from sixteen nations, will endure several grueling elimination rounds as the preliminary, semifinal and final rounds whittle the ranks of the world's better young opera talents down to the world's best new talents. Norway's current Minister of Culture (Ms. Ellen Horn) will officially open the competition at a prestigious opening ceremony, and The Honorable Queen Sonja of Norway will personally present the awards after the finale concert.

This year's competition jury consists of several renowned personalities from the international opera world: Menno Feenstra (the Netherlands - chairman of the jury), Ingrid Bjoner (Norway), James King (USA), Bjørn Simensen (Norway), Dame Joan Sutherland (Australia), Hans Sotin (Germany) and Luca Targetti (Italy).

The first place winner will receive a cash prize amounting to approximately Nkr 125000, and will be offered concert engagements with the following institutions: the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Concert Institute, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. One of the winners will be offered a concert engagement with the Norwegian Opera.


INTERNATIONAL PRESS INVITED TO FINALE CONCERT, AWARDS PRESENTATION AND PHOTO SESSION WITH THE HONORABLE QUEEN SONJA OF NORWAY
The international press is cordially invited to attend the finale concert on Thursday, the 23rd of August at the Oslo Concert Hall (at 7 p.m.). The six finalists will sing opera arias to the accompaniment of the Norwegian Opera Orchestra under the direction of Mr. Gregor Bühl, after which The Honorable Queen Sonja will present the awards. There will be a special photo session for the press with The Honorable Queen Sonja and the contest winners at approximately 10 p.m.

Those interested in attending the concert may contact the ticket office at the Oslo Concert Hall +47 23.11.31.11 for complementary tickets. Please note that the audience must be seated no later than 6:45 p.m.! There will be no interviews with The Honorable Queen Sonja this evening.

PHOTOGRAPHERS NOTE
While it is strictly prohibited to take photographs under the concert, photographs of The Honorable Queen Sonja may be taken as she enters the concert hall at 7 p.m. Those wishing to attend the official photo session in the Concert Hall without attending the concert may do so. The concert will be sent simultaneously on NRK TV. The photo session will begin at approximately 10 p.m. All photographers must be accredited by the Concert Hall management beforehand. Take contact with Oslo Concert Hall for information concerning accreditation: telephone +47 23.11.31.00.

THE LIST OF COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS INCLUDES:
Khachatryan, Ms. Varduhi -- mezzo-soprano (Armenia)
Pomakov, Mr. Robert -- bass (Canada)
Sjölander, Ms. Marian -- soprano (Canada)
Jing, Ms. Yang -- mezzo-soprano (China)
Wu, Ms. Yanyu -- soprano (China)
Yu, Ms. Tsai- wen -- soprano (China)
Fribo, Ms. Louise -- soprano (Denmark)
Carlstedt, Ms. Jenny -- mezzo-soprano (Finland)
Huhta, Ms. Mia -- soprano (Finland)
Lampimäki, Ms. Sirkka Susanna -- soprano (Finland)
Paakkunainen, Ms. Ulla -- soprano (Finland)
Rusanen, Ms. Johanna -- soprano (Finland)
Behle, Mr. Daniel -- tenor (Germany)
Donath, Ms. Tanja -- mezzo-soprano (Germany)
Marguerre, Ms. Eleonore -- soprano (Germany)
Speer, Mr. Yorck Felix -- bass/baritone (Germany)
Csereklyei, Ms. Andrea -- soprano (Hungary)
Hayashida, Ms. Akiko -- soprano (Japan)
Tamura, Ms. Asako -- soprano (Japan)
Ha, Mr. Seok Be -- tenor (Korea)
Hwang, Mr. Gabriel -- tenor (Korea)
Kim, Mr. Jason -- tenor (Korea)
Kim, Mr. Tae-Hyun -- baritone (Korea)
Lee, Mr. Kwang- Keun -- baritone (Korea)
Song, Mr. Kee Chang -- baritone (Korea)
Gericke, Ms. Isa Katharina -- soprano (Norway)
Hagen, Ms. Eli Kristin Hovdsveen -- soprano (Norway)
Hernes, Ms. Eva-Kristine Egede-Nissen -- mezzo-soprano (Norway)
Kvarving Sølberg, Ms. Marita -- soprano (Norway)
Pettersen, Ms. Hildegunn -- soprano (Norway)
Aamodt, Ms. Silvia -- soprano (Norway)
Lawreszuk, Mr. Pawel -- bass (Poland)
Radziejewska, Ms. Anna -- mezzo-soprano (Poland)
Siwak, Ms. Sylwia -- mezzo-soprano (Poland)
Strozyk, Ms. Patrycja -- mezzo-soprano (Poland)
Szumilo, Ms. Agnieszka-Justyna -- soprano (Poland)
Evstafieva, Ms. Natalia -- mezzo-soprano (Russia)
Shtoda, Mr. Daniil -- tenor (Russia)
Sidorenko, Ms. Galina -- mezzo-soprano (Russia)
Dominique,Ms. Ingrid -- mezzo-soprano (Sweden)
Heymann, Ms. Sandra -- mezzo-soprano (Sweden)
Al Quntar,Ms. Lubana -- soprano (Syria)
Huang, Ms. Hsuan-Wen -- soprano (Taiwan)
Diamond, Ms. Jenny -- soprano (USA)
Graf, Ms. Lisa -- soprano (USA)
Johnson, Ms. Heather -- mezzo-soprano (USA)
Quintiliani, Ms. Barbara - soprano (USA)
Wolfe, Ms. Victoria -- soprano (USA)