GILLESDENIZOT

From the 24th to the 31st of March 2009, I was a jury member of the S.H.M.O. Vocal Competition in Athens, Greece. This competition is organized every other year by the “ΣΩΜΑΤΕΙΟ ΗΘΟΠΟΙΩΝ ΜΕΛΟΔΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣ ΟΠΕΡΕΤΑΣ”, opera singers association founded in 1955.

Among the jury members, under the presidency of soprano Angela Lalaouni, also were: bass George Pappas, Spyros Sakkas (collaborator of composer Manos Hadjidakis and painter Kostas Tsoklis), Maro Nikaki (Greek Chamber Opera Director), mezzo Sofia Kapetanakou, and Nikos Vassiliou (conductor and Greek National Opera chorus master).

31 singers took part in the first round: 17 sopranos, 3 mezzos, 3 tenors, and 8 baritones. I trained and presented two OperaLab Athens singers: Dimitris Paksoglou, tenor (1st prize) and Nikolaos Karagkiaouris, baritone (6th prize). Paksoglou – who remained 1st throughout the three rounds – sang i.e. arias from Carmen, Tosca, Eugene Onegin, Werther, Idomeneo, and the Ingemisco from the Verdi Requiem. Karagkiaouris – who ranked 2nd in the semi-final – sang i.e. arias from I Puritani, La Favorita, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Carlo, and Carmen. He also gave a strong performance of Mendelssohn’s Es ist genug and of Ο ΓΕΡΟ ΔΗΜΟΣ by Greek composer Karreri.

Also to be noticed was Greek soprano Labrini Batziou (2nd prize ex-aequo). An impressive singer, with a large lyric voice and strong clear high range, who demonstrated musicality and dramatic abilities in a programme ranging from Leonora (Il Trovatore, Verdi) and Puccini’s Manon Lescaut to Schubert’s Gretchen am Spinnrade and a fantastic ΕΛΛΑΔΑ by Greek composer Vourtsis.

20 singers were selected for the semi-final, and 10 for the public final at the newly-renovated Parnassos Hall, where Maria Callas made her concert debut.