Their names are better known in Europe than in Russia. Novikova started her singing career at the Mariinsky Theatre. She is now a leading singer at German Bonn opera house, but also appears as a guest singer in several European theatres.

Aleksey Kudrya comes from a family of professional musicians and is a flute player and a conductor by profession, but his lifelong hobby has always been singing. Kudrya boasts a roster of international singing awards, including his latest sweeping victory at the Operalia.

Tenor Aleksey Kudrya

A record number of Russian talent dominated the 17th edition of Operalia: 10 singers out of 48 contestants were from Russia, along with participants from America, China, Greece, Turkey, Lithuania, Australia and Spain.

Placido Domingo established Operalia back in 1993. Since then it has been held annually in different cities around the world, such as Mexico, Madrid, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Puerto Rico, and many others. The contest this year was held in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

“I created this competition to help young artists overcome obstacles by giving them the opportunity to be heard by the finest professionals and to pass on advice that has been beneficial to me throughout my career. My aim is not just to help identify the finest voices, but rather to discover those young talents who, by their personality, character and force of interpretation show the promise of accomplished artists. These are the ones who will become the stars of tomorrow,” Placido Domingo said.

The maestro himself never sits in the jury, but takes a proactive role in the life of the contest and its participants by giving his support and expertise to up-and-coming singers from around the world.

The top winners of the contest take home a $30,000 reward, as well as lucrative professional offers.