Zenith Opera Competition

08/30/2026


💥 News! 💥

We’re delighted to share that Alexandra Razskazoff, ZOC 2021 2nd Prize Winner, will be joining the companies of two of America’s leading opera houses.

The Metropolitan Opera, New York
First Lady, Medea — October 30–November 21, 2026
Barena cover, Jenůfa — November 16–December 4, 2026

Lyric Opera of Chicago
Violetta cover, La traviata — March 24–April 25, 2027

Congratulations, Alexandra, on these exciting engagements!

08/06/2026

💥 News! 💥
We’re delighted to share that Jared Werlein ZOC 2025 finalist and winner of the Gregory Kunde Nova Award, has an exciting season ahead!

In October, Jared makes his China debut at the Beijing Music Festival, performing the role of Curio in Giulio Cesare on October 18.

December marks another major milestone as he joins the Jeune Troupe at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, making his house debut as Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro on December 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 29, 30, and 31.

He will also make his title role debut as Figaro during two of those performances, with dates to be announced soon.

The new year continues in Geneva with Don Prudenzio in Il Viaggio a Reims (February 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14), followed by Larkens in La Fanciulla del West (March 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, and 20).

In April, Jared returns to the United States to sing Marcello in La Bohème with the Northwest Florida Symphony on April 17.

He concludes the season back at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, performing the dual roles of Maximilian and King Stanislaus in Candide on June 24 and 25.

Here’s to an incredible season filled with exciting debuts, new roles, and performances across three countries. We look forward to seeing you along the way and Bravo!!!!

06/26/2026

💥 News! 💥
We're delighted to share that Shannon Keegan, 2026 ZOC 2nd Prize Winner, is preparing for an exciting 2026/2027 season featuring performances with renowned opera companies and orchestras across Europe, North America, and Asia.

🎶 In August, Shannon returns as Leokadja Begbik in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny in Norway, with performances on August 19, 23, 26, and 29.

✨ In September, she appears at the Flanders Lied Festival in Belgium on September 20.

🦊 In October and November, Shannon makes her U.S. operatic and Dallas Opera debut as The Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen, with performances on October 30 and November 1, 4, and 7.

⚓ In February, she sings Mary in Der fliegende Holländer at the Bayerische Staatsoper, with performances on February 22, 24, and 27.

🌟 From April through June, Shannon makes her Deutsche Oper am Rhein debut, reprising the role of Leokadja Begbik in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, with performances on April 17, 24, and 29; May 4 and 15; and June 10.

🍪 In May, she performs Der Sandmann in Hänsel und Gretel with the Berlin Philharmonic on May 27, 29, and 30.

🎼 In June, Shannon makes her role and Asian debut as Adalgisa in Norma with the Tokyo Philharmonic, performing on June 23 and 26.

We are thrilled to follow Shannon's artistic journey and wish her a wonderful season filled with success, inspiration, and unforgettable performances.

Brava, Shannon—toi toi toi! 🎭👏✨

06/24/2026

💥 News! 💥
Emma McNairy, a 2024 ZOC 3rd Prize Winner, is busy preparing for an exciting season filled with wonderful performances and role debuts.

✨ Emma will sing her final two performances of Desdemona in Otello at the Staatstheater Meiningen on 27, and July 1.

🎶 In September, she will perform Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with the Richard Wagner Verband Minden and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie at the Stadttheater Minden on September 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, and 27.

🌟 In November, she will make her debut as Hanna Glawari with the L’Opéra-Théâtre de l’Eurométropole de Metz on November 6 and 8.

🎭 Looking ahead to 2027, Emma will sing the title role in Jenůfa with the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landestheater in Flensburg between March and July.
With an impressive slate of performances ahead, Emma continues to build on her success with exciting new artistic milestones.

We are delighted to follow her journey and wish her a wonderful season filled with success, inspiration, and memorable performances.
Brava, Emma — toi toi toi! 🎭👏✨

06/19/2026

💥News!💥

Daniel Scofield, a 2024 ZOC finalist whose international career continues its impressive ascent, has an exciting season ahead.

This season brings a series of major milestones, including festival, role, and house debuts across some of the world’s most distinguished opera stages. Highlights include his debut with the Esker Festival Orchestra as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana; role and house debuts as Iago in Otello at the Opéra national de Nancy-Lorraine; and a house debut in the same role at the Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

Further engagements include his debut with Florida Grand Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor; a role and house debut as Donner in Das Rheingold at the Gran Teatre del Liceu; and an exciting first contract with the Metropolitan Opera, covering Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier, a new role in his repertoire.

The season concludes at the Prague State Opera, where Daniel performs the iconic verismo roles of Alfio and Tonio in Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci.

A season filled with landmark debuts, new roles, and prestigious international engagements marks another exciting chapter in Daniel’s artistic journey.

Bravo, Daniel! Wishing you every success for the season ahead—toi toi toi! 🎭👏

06/12/2026

💥News 💥

Hyunkyum Kim, ZOC 2025 2nd Prize Winner, stars as Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, leading the cast at the . Opening tomorrow and running through July
Toi toi toi! 🎭

05/22/2026

Thank you Operawire!

The 2026 Zenith Opera Competition has announced its winners following an evening of performances in Vienna.

05/20/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 winners!

Ilya Silchuk - 1st prize winner
Shannon Keegan - 2nd prize winner
Rubby Dibble - 3rd prize winner and Samantha Hankey Nova Award winner

Congratulations as well to all our finalist! It was an amazing evening of singing.

A big thank you to our panel: Matthew Broom, Carolin Weilputz, Xenia Hofmann, Michael Barobeck and Veronique Walter for their attentive listening and expertise!

A big thank you and ♥️ to Samantha Hankey for joining us - and talking to our finalists as well as awarding her prize! A joy to have you with us!

05/14/2026

Meet our 2026 finalist Ilya Silchuk

Ilya Silchuk was a member of the Junges Ensemble of the Semperoper Dresden for two years and has been a member of the permanent ensemble there since the 2023/24 season. The roles that he has sung in Dresden include Schaunard (La bohème), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Kilian (Der Freischütz), Kuligin (Káťa Kabanová) and Hermann / Schlemil (Les Contes d’Hoffmann).

Ilya Silchuk has won prizes in several international singing competitions, including first prize at the Walter and Charlotte Hamel Foundation Opera Competition in Hanover (2023), third prize in the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino (2022), the special prize of the Saxon State Opera Dresden at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Erfurt (2021) and the second prize in the Bachelor’s degree category at the International Giulio Perotti Singing Competition in Ueckermünde (2019). He won the Wagner Young Talent Prize in the competition in Leipzig in 2020, where he also received a Bayreuth scholarship; in the same year he received a scholarship from the Ad Infinitum Foundation Lübeck.

In 2021 he performed the role of Figaro in a filmed version of Le nozze di Figaro, produced by PAMY Media productions (Dornach / Switzerland).

Ilya Silchuk was born in 1993 in Nizhny Novgorod and studied from 2018 to 2022 at the University of Music Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden with Jörg Hempe. Previously he completed an acting degree at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute in Moscow and was engaged for two years by the Vakhtangov Theatre. His theatre roles included Prince Nekhlyudov in Tolstoy’s Resurrection and the notary Andrei Ilyich in Chekhov’s A Misfortune.

05/13/2026

Meet our 2026 finalist Aitana Sanz.

Spanish soprano Aitana Sanz has quickly established herself as one of the most promising young voices of her generation. Recent international highlights include Ismene in Mitridate at Opéra de Lausanne, the Voice of the Falcon in Die Frau ohne Schatten at Dutch National Opera, Clorinda in La Cenerentola at the Bregenz Festival, Giannetta in L’elisir d’amorein Monte Carlo, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte in Treviso and Rovigo, and Sophie in Werther at Teatro Cervantes. She has also appeared in solo recitals and gala concerts in Lausanne, Valencia, and with the Gibraltar Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed Weber’s Missa Sancta No. 1 at the Bregenz Festival.
In 2025, she won First Prize at both the K-Gagong Superstar Competition in Seoul and the International Singing Contest CARRARA. Earlier distinctions include First Prize at the Giulio Neri International Competition, Second Prize at Concorso Città di Pienza, Third Prize at the Alfredo Kraus International Singing Competition, and the “Voice of the Future” Award at the Otto Edelmann Competition.
Born in Valencia, Aitana Sanz studied piano and voice with soprano Isabel Rey before completing her master’s studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under baritone Florian Boesch. She is currently coached by soprano Krassimira Stoyanova.
At 19, she made her debut at Teatro Pérez Galdós as Una Voce dal Cielo in Verdi’s Don Carlo. She returned in 2022 to debut as Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, stepping in for Jessica Pratt. That same year, she joined the Accademia Rossiniana at the Rossini Opera Festival, making her acclaimed Italian debut as Contessa di Folleville in Il Viaggio a Reims, followed by her U.S. debut as Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera in Maryland.
Since 2022, she has been a member of the Accademia del Maggio Fiorentino, where she debuted as Frasquita in Carmenand Pamina in a children’s production of Die Zauberflöte. In 2023, she joined the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project, performing Le Feu, La Pastourelle et Le Rossignol in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. In 2024, she appeared as Solveig in Peer Gynt at Maggio Fiorentino and Elisetta in Il Matrimonio Segreto at Teatro Pérez Galdós.

Aitana Sanz has collaborated with conductors including Yves Abel, Anna Handler, Zubin Mehta, and Sesto Quatrini. Upcoming engagements include Oscar at Maó Opera, Rosina in Paisiello’s Barbiere di Siviglia at La Maestranza de Sevilla and the Auditorio de Granada, and Frasquita in Carmen at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.