When Plácido Domingo's 2015 Operalia is carried live (and without charge, thanks to Rolex) on Medici.TV, beginning Sunday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, keep an eye on Darren Pene Pati, the New Zealand tenor we knew in the Merola Opera Program as just Pene Pati.
He was a sensation in Merola, named as an Adler Fellow, but quit to return to New Zealand and a "Three Tenors"-type touring career. (Another singer bolting from Merola — which Pati did complete — was Anna Netrebko; I understand she has done well.)
His voice is great: His 2014 performance at the Caballe Competition in Zaragoza, Spain, produced a remarkable "De miei bollenti spiriti" from Traviata. (Pati won the competition and its 12,000-euro award.) And he is young. But without further coaching, his artistic development is uncertain. This event may provide some of the answer.
For the first time in its 22-year history, Operalia is being held in London, hosted by the Royal Opera House. Earlier this week, the 40 contestants drawn from 21 countries took part in three days of preliminary rounds performing in front of the competition’s international jury.
The Gala Concert, in which 11 remaining finalists compete, will be held on Covent Garden’s main stage on July 19, accompanied by the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, conducted by Domingo. The concert is followed by the announcement of top winners and the awards ceremony. (Usually, there is a pause of about half an hour for the judges to reach their decision.)
Founded in 1993 with the aim of discovering and helping launch the careers of today’s most promising young opera singers, Operalia is open to singers of all voice types between the ages of 18 and 32. Among illustrious past winners are Angel Blue, Joseph Calleja, José Cura, Joyce DiDonato, Carmen Giannattasio, Ana María Martínez, Ailyn Pérez, Erwin Schrott, Nina Stemme, Rolando Villazón, and Sonya Yoncheva.
These are the finalists:
- Australia - Kiandra Howarth, soprano, 25* (asterisk indicates those who are also Zarzuela finalists)
- France - Julien Behr, tenor, 32
- New Zealand - Darren Pene Pati, tenor, 27*
- Norway - Lise Davidsen, soprano, 28
- Romania - Ioan Hotea, tenor, 25*
- South Africa - Bongani Justice Kubheka, bass-baritone, 24, and Noluvuyiso Mpofu, soprano, 26
- South Korea - Hye Sang Park, soprano, 26*
- USA - Andrea Carroll, soprano, 25*; Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone, 26; and Edward Parks, baritone, 31