Congratulations to British soprano Gemma Summerfield, who on Friday was announced as the winner of the 59th edition of the Concurs Tenor Viñas, receiving the Primer Gran Premio Tenor Viñas “Fundació Puig” and “Fundació Gran Teatre del Liceu”, the Premi Extraordinari “Teatro Real de Madrid” and the Premi Extraordinari “Festival Castell de Peralada”.
The final rounds took place over the last week at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, with a jury made up of artistic and casting directors from opera houses across Europe and the world. In the grand final, held on Friday 28 January, Gemma sang ‘Ecco respiro appena…Io son l’umile ancella’ from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur and ‘Surta è la notte...Ernani! Ernani, involami’ from Verdi’s Ernani. Both the grand final and the Winners Concert are available to watch on the Gran Teatre del Liceu’s streaming platform here.
Later this season Gemma appears in an opera gala at Cadogan Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on 14 February, and then makes her debut at Opéra national du Rhin as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, with performances in Strasbourg, Mulhouse and Colmar. This season she has also made her role debut as Mimì in La bohème with Northern Ireland Opera.