The second round of the contest took place in the Hungarian city of Szeged at the weekend. The finalists will take 14 roles in productions by the Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre of Pilsen, the Opera Krakowska from Krakow, Den Nye Opera of Bergen, the Dicapo Opera Theatre from New York and the Csokonai Theatre from the Hungarian city of Debrecen.
Balczó, who was also among the finalists last year, will sing Alfred Germont in La Traviata. Haja, who is a private singer at the Hungarian State Opera, will sing Constantine in The Seagull, and Cseh, who works at the National Theatre of Szeged, will sing the role of the inquisitor in The Fiery Angel.
As in the past two years, the competition jury assessed not only singers' voices, but their talents as performers.
"The winner will not be the young talent with the most exquisite vocal capabilities or the most beautiful singing voice; he or she will be the ?best performer?, who meets the all-round requirements of the genre, which includes not only singing, but also stage movement and acting, all to the highest standard," says production office Armel.
The final round of the contest will take place at the National Theatre of Szeged on November 3?17.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / Photo: MTI
