The San Francesco di Paola International Opera Competition, now in its XVII edition, arrives at the Teatro Politeama in Catanzaro from June 8th to 10th. At the end of the event, on Tuesday, June 10th, at 9:00 pm, the Grand Opera Gala will take place, featuring all the winners, accompanied on piano by Maestro Amedeo Salvato, official pianist of the Competition and artistic coordinator of the Opera School of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and the award ceremony will be held by the prestigious jury and the attending authorities. Also in this edition, there will be artists from all over the world; the candidates come from many Italian regions and from many European countries: France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Lithuania; from the United States and Russia, from China, Korea, Japan, and Thailand, as well as Israel, Iran, Lebanon, and South Africa; there is also a good representation of Calabrians, for whom a special prize is reserved. It is possible to reserve your seat through the Liveticket portal.
If in the world Italy is often identified with Opera and the study and celebration of the masterpieces of the protagonists of bel canto flourish, at home there are few opportunities to bring out young talents. To give a concrete opportunity to young opera singers, there is precisely the San Francesco di Paola International Opera Competition, organized by the Orchestra del Mediterraneo Association in collaboration with the historic Orfeo Stillo Musical Association, included among the “Historicized Cultural Events” of the Calabria Region and under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture.
The competition, whose Artistic Direction is entrusted to Maestro Luigi Stillo, is aimed at opera singers up to 35 years of age: “Our aim is to promote and launch young opera singers thanks to real opportunities put in place to help them enter the world of work, from scholarships to concerts, from masterclasses to artistic engagements. It is true that Italy boasts great excellences, La Scala, San Carlo, La Fenice, the Arena, Petruzzelli or the Massimo, but here the artists arrive already as 'established', often after being forced to consider abroad as a work reference. This is absurd because Italy in the world, musically speaking, is Opera, sung on all continents for hundreds of years in our language and has always been one of the most representative vehicles of valuable Italian identity“.
The jury of the Competition is extremely prestigious and will be composed of Luigi Stillo, Artistic Director, pianist, concert artist and professor at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, as President of the jury; the Artistic Director of the Teatro delle Muse in Ancona, Vincenzo de Vivo, the Conductor and Principal Conductor of the ICO Orchestra of Magna Grecia and Artistic Director of the Lerici Music Festival, Gianluca Marcianò, the Artistic Programming Manager of the Royal Opera Houses of Muscat (Oman), Raffaella Murdolo, the composer and Artistic Director of the Teatro Verdi in Pisa Marco Tutino, the Artistic Director of the Teatro Politeama in Catanzaro Antonietta Santacroce and, as always, the General Director of the Teatro Sociale di Como-Aslico, Giovanni Vegeto.
There are many prizes up for grabs. The first, second, and third place winners will receive scholarships of €2,500, €2,000, and €1,500 respectively; there are also awards for the best young Calabrian opera singer among the entrants, a scholarship of €300, and the award for the best interpreter of an aria by a Calabrian composer, a scholarship of €300.
There are also many special prizes:
Special Prize Royal Opera House – Muscat (Oman): Participation in one of the productions of the 2025/2026 season – Royal Opera House of Muscat (Oman)
Special Prize Teatro Sociale di Como – Aslico: Free participation in a Masterclass organized by the Teatro Sociale di Como/Aslico – spring 2026; Participation in auditions for roles left open in the Aslico Competition 2026 operas
Special Prize Teatro Verdi – Pisa: Assignment of artistic engagements for the next opera-concert seasons of the Teatro Verdi
Special Prize Teatro Politeama – Catanzaro: Assignment of artistic engagements for the next opera-concert seasons of the Teatro Politeama
Special Prize Lerici Music Festival – Lerici: Assignment of artistic engagements for the Lerici Music Festival
Also up for grabs:
Concert for the 2026 opera-symphonic season of the Orchestra del Mediterraneo with a fee of €500; Concert at the Amici del Loggione Association of the Teatro alla Scala; Recommendations for concerts and productions at Theatres, Associations, and Institutions.
The President of the Orchestra del Mediterraneo Association, Alfredo Stillo, said he was particularly happy to have contributed to restarting this prestigious Competition, which marked the beginning of the careers of many singers who now perform on the stages of the world's most important theatres, thanks also to the prestigious jurors present on the panel who represent leading institutions in the sector and are committed to promoting young talents. The Maestro addressed his first thanks to them, then continued with the institutions that support him, all the staff, and of course the many candidates who truly come from all over the world.
The entire event will be hosted by Giusy Ferrara, Organizational Director of the Competition: “An important opportunity also to relaunch the opera sector of our region, to offer young opera singers a prestigious showcase and to promote, thanks to the numerous and qualified attendees who will come from many Italian regions and from many foreign countries, our territory and its excellences”.