Eleven singers from seven countries made the finals of the First International Eva Marton Singing Competition at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest on Thursday.
Two sigers, 27-year-old Chen Chen and 25-year-old Yang Luo are from China. They are both tenor/countertenors.
Three singers, 26-year-old soprano Vlada Borovko, 29-year-old mezzo-soprano/alto Kristina Metelitsa and 29-year-old mezzo-soprano/alto Svetlana Zlobina come from Russia.
Two singers come from Ukraine. They are 24-year-old baritone/bass-baritone Danylo Matviienko and 30-year-old soprano Tetiana Zhuravel.
Romania's 29-year-old baritone/bass-baritone Alexandru Aghenie, Poland's 28-year-old soprano Marcelina Beucher, Denmark's 26-year-old soprano Signe Ravn Heiberg and Hungary's 26-year-old mezzo-soprano/alto Szilvia Voros also entered the finals.
The finals will be on Saturday evening. The winners will be announced on Saturday night. There will be one Grand Prix, one First Prize, one Second Prize and one Third Prize as well as a number of special prizes.
The winners will participate in a gala performance at the Hungarian State Opera House on Sunday night.
The eleven finalists have been selected from 43 entrants who come from 20 coutries and regions.
Eva Marton is a world-renowned Hungarian dramatic soprano, particularly well known for her roles in Puccini and Wagner operas, the latter performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera and at the Bayreuth Festival. She retired from the operatic stage in 2008. Marton is 71 years old and is the head of the competition jury.