The First International Competition of Belcanto Vincenzo Bellini is the only competition having the particularity of being destined only to the belcantist repertory and voices. Since then, it occupies a special place on the international lyric chessboard. It is a first of its kind, and its specificity is unprecedented in the panorama of the lyrical competitions.

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Its founder President, the Italian conductor Marco GUIDARINI, who occupies a prominent place in the world's lyrical landscape, has set high the threshold of vocal requirement required to participate in this competition intended for this type of repertoire absolutely targeted. One can only be candidates for this competition after having participated in the very selective auditions of young professional singers, where most of whom have already won international competitions. The great expertise of Maestro Guidarini in this field makes this competition an absolute and undisputed reference of this vocal discipline, of which there are very few representatives, because of its technical difficulty. This unique concept in terms of lyrical competition is the subject of an exclusive concept duly deposited (copyright).

Unique in its conception - since there is an enormous confusion in the collective imagination as regards the term "Bel canto" which is wrongly assimilated to lyrical singing in its entirety - it is the only one to defend the true identity of the Belcantist Art. Its vocation is to seek out and make known to the public the voices possessing the characteristics which will allow them to approach the main Belcantist roles, and also to promote this magnificent repertory (pre-Verdian), little illumined by the lack of the the teaching of this formidable vocal discipline.

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Our collaboration since 2010 through Maestro Guidarini with the biggest lyrical institutions such as the Accademia alla Scala in Milan, with which he collaborates regularly, demonstrates the legitimacy of our approach: offering to the public the elite of the Belcantist voices and allow these new talents to sensitize producers and directors of opera houses in order to help them developping their career at the highest level. All are pursuing a brilliant career. Through our international contacts, and because of the solid level we require, award-winning singers are offered concerts and prestigious contacts, in order to facilitate them a rapid access to the most fertile career.

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Numerous prominent personalities participate in the juries of the contest:
Artists of world renown : June Anderson, Pretty Yende, Mady Mesplé, Leontina Vaduva, Viorica Cortez, Inva Mula ...
As important personalities of the world music : among them Alain Lanceron (President of EMI and Virgin Classic), Daniele Borniquez (Artistic Director of the Accademia alla Scala of Milan, partner of the Competition in 2010), Sergio Ségalini (Editor in chief of Opera International, ex-editor of Opera Magazine, ex-superintendent of the Fenice of Venice and San Carlo in Naples and creator of the Martina Franca Festival), Vincenzo de Vivo (Superintendent of the San Carlo Tower in Naples), Gioachino Lanza Tomasi (Musicologist), Enrico Castiglione (Artistic Director of the Bellini Festival in Catania, the Easter Festival in Rome and the Taormina Arte Opera Festival)...

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This new competition gave the French public the opportunity to discover great voices : in particular the young Soprano Pretty Yende, the first Grand Prix Vincenzo Bellini 2010. Pretty YENDE won among other prestigious awards in Moscow the Grand Prize of the OPERALIA / Placido DOMINGO 2011! Absolute consecration for our discovery! She is the only one in the history of the competition to have obtained 3 Prizes for this same competition / 1st Prize, Jury Prize and the Zarzuela one ! Having become a star of lyrical scenes, this very great young artist, a resident of the Accademia della Scala (status created for her) and winner of other very prestigious lyrical competitions, is now on the biggest world stages. The Parisian public had the opportunity to find her again at her recital on October 28, 2011 at the Espace Cardin, organized within the framework of our Competition. This was his first and only recital in France. It now radiates on the biggest world stages.

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All finalists or winners of the contest pursue a brilliant career. Anna Kasyan (2013), Sung Min Song (2015), Roberta Mantegna (2016), Marie LYS (2017), the surprise of the 2018 edition, Nombulelo YENDE, and very recently Déborah SALAZAR (2019) have a thriving career, along with many of our finalists.

The competition is also the only French lyric competition hosted internationally. As a Franco-Italian identity, the 2nd edition of the Competition took place in Catania (Sicily), Bellini's birthplace, in partnership with the Bellini Festival in Catania. In 2016, Buenos Aires became official partner of the Competition at the invitation of the Argentine authorities. The Competition now also collaborates with the famous Lyric Academy of the Teatro Colon, a high place for international lyric singing, as well as the famous Teatro del Giglio di Lucca, in Italie, house of the so famous Puccini.
Other collaborations are being prepared ... To be continued!