The Queen Sonja Singing Competition 2021 by Various, Dum 15 Aug. 2021, De la (2021/2021), Dirijor Mark Elder, Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway

While the world was in a global pandemic, The Queen Sonja International Music Competition was still aiming to host a sparkling competition in 2021. To accommodate for the ongoing travel restrictions in Norway and on other parts of the world, the competition dates were moved to later in the year. When the international jury had cast their votes after the final concert, the calculations showed that the Russian soprano Maria Motolygina was the first prize winner of the Queen Sonja International Music Competition 2021. The Mongolian baritone Badral Chuluunbaatar and the Russian soprano Inna Demenkova won the second and third prizes, respectively. The finalist prizes went to soprano Erika Baikoff from USA, soprano Lydia Hoen Tjore from Norway and bass Brent Michael Smith from USA. The award for best interpretation of Lied in the semi-final went to the American soprano Liv Redpath. Lydia Hoen Tjore was awarded the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship as the best Norwegian participant. The 2021 competition experiencied considerable international attention, which was reflected in the large number of applications and the many nations represented among our applicants. 501 singers from 63 different countries applied for this year’s competition. 43 singers from 21 countries were invited to take part in the live and online preliminary rounds. The preliminary rounds were held on the 14th – 15th of August. 40 singers from 21 nations performed live, with their own pianist, from self-chosen locations. The singers were spread around the world, within eight time zones. The preliminary rounds were streamed live to the competition’s YouTube channel. The semi-final was held live and online, on the 24th of October. 12 singers from 8 nations performed live, with their own pianist, from self-chosen locations. The singers were spread around the world within six time zones. The semi-final was livestreamed to the competition’s YouTube channel. The livestream was shown on a big screen in the Lindeman Hall in Oslo, with an audience. During the breaks, industry representatives participated in panel discussions. The final concert was held on the 20th of November in the Grieg Hall in Bergen. Six singers performed operatic arias, accompanied by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. The evening’s conductor was Sir Mark Elder and Mari Lunnan was the compère. The concert was livestreamed and broadcast to NRK Klassisk.