The Francesc Viñas Competition

From Liceu to the world

Top Classical, July 2022
The Francesc Viñas competition was founded in 1963 by Jacint Vilardell to commemorate Catalan tenor Francesc Viñas, who was born 150 years ago and was the first person to think of such a competition to foster new talent. 

The competition has become one of the major contests in the opera, oratorio and Lied world, in which young singers from all over the world take part every year.  

Each year the preliminary stages take place all over the world, in the cities of Madrid, Paris, London, Hamburg, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing, where the Liceu Theatre has cooperative agreements with the opera houses. For 2020’s edition more than 500 singers from around 53 different countries had to take part.  Last year, 2020, the endowment of the prizes increased in 6,000 euros, with a total of 121,000 euros, distributed in official, special and extraordinary prizes and a contract offered by the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation for the coming seasons. Besides being presented with the official prizes, the winners may receive other awards, such as study grants and contracts for performances at various theatres. 

The final stage of the competition always takes place in Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu with 15 singers taking part. The Final Audition is held each January in the same Liceu, as is the final concert with the winners, accompanied by the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra. 

Prominent singers who have won the Viñas Contest includes Tamara Wilson (2011), Javier Camarena (2005), Violeta Urmana (1992), Željko Lucic (1997), Antonio Gandia (2004) and Vicenç Sardinero (1965). 

In the 2019-2020 it was the russian Mezzo-Soprano Victoria Karkacheva who won first prize performing Tchaikovsky’s Aria di Polina, and a piece from Wagner’s opera Rienzi. 

In words of the artistic director of the Liceu, Víctor García de Gomar, “The competition is a space that generates a market of opportunities for talent that comes from all over the world. The faithful “nose” of the jury tries to observe what the new talents of the future are” 

We can’t wait to meet the new generation of stars in the opera world that will be awarded in the following years! You can learn more about the past winners and the competition in the official page: http://www.tenorvinas.com/en