Meet the Finalists

Anders Kampmann

Tenor, Denmark

Biography

Hedvig Haugerud

Soprano, Norway

Biography

Gareth Dafydd Morris

Tenor, United Kingdom

Biography

Signe Heiberg

Soprano, Denmark

Biography

Meet the Quarter-finalists

Anders Kampmann

Tenor, Denmark

Biography

Artjoms Safronovs

Tenor, Latvia

Biography

Deirdre Angenent

Mezzo-soprano, Netherlands

Biography

Gareth Dafydd Morris

Tenor, United Kingdom

Biography

Hedvig Haugerud

Soprano, Norway

Biography

James Edgar Knight

Tenor, Australia

Biography

Joanna Parisi

Soprano, Italy

Biography

Johanna Will

Soprano, Germany

Biography

Matthew Arnold

Tenor, USA

Biography

Meredith Bloomfield

Soprano, USA

Biography

Samuel Levine

Tenor, USA

Biography

Sarah-Jane Lewis

Soprano, United Kingdom

Biography

Shanley Horvitz

Soprano, USA

Biography

Signe Heiberg

Soprano, Denmark

Biography

Tamara Morozová

Soprano, Slovakia

Biography

Youngkug Jin

Bass-baritone, South Korea

Biography

Anders Kampmann

Tenor, Denmark

Anders Kampmann studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus. He has performed in opera houses such as The Royal Opera House in Copenhagen, Theater Magdeburg, Dutch Touring Opera and Danish National Opera. As a concert singer he has worked with Copenhagen Phil, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, and Odense Symphony Orchestra among others. Roles include Canio I Pagliacci, Alfredo La Traviata, Tamino Die Zauberflöte, Sandor Barinkay Der Zigeunerbaron, Jennaro Ravnen. In 2023 Kampmann sang the parts of Siegmund, Young Siegfried, and Older Siegfried in a fully staged performance of excerpts from Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, entitled ‘The Ring in one evening’ at Elsinore Chamber Opera and Copenhagen Opera Festival. In 2022-2023 he was supported by Statens Kunstfond in a program called ‘The Young Artistic Elite’, working on roles in the Jugendlicher Heldentenor fach with several coaches and his mentor Stig Andersen. This program was also supported by Dansk Tennis Fond and Poul Johansen Fonden. In 2022 Kampmann received Hans Voigts Mindelegat and in 2024 he will be visiting Die Bayreuther Festspiele on scholarship from The Danish Richard Wagner Society.

Hedvig Haugerud

Soprano, Norway

Hedvig Haugerud graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music and continued her studies at the Conservatoire National et Supérieur de Musique in Paris, and the Opera Academy in Copenhagen. During the 2023/24 season, Haugerud has performed Grieg Songs on tour to Spain with the Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Fourth Maid Elektra (Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Gardner) and debuted in the title role Salomé (Metz Opera). In 2022/23, she sang Fifth Maid Elektra (Norwegian Opera/Popelka), and The Overseer Elektra (Royal Danish Opera/ Søndergård). Previously on stage at the Royal Danish Opera, she sang Annina La Traviata, and Lady with Hat Box in the world premiere of Dominick Argento's Postcard from Morocco and earlier made her role debut as Amelia Un ballo in maschera (Opera på Skäret, Sweden). In 2021 Hedvig received the Bayreuth Stipendung, and in 2023 she won the second prize in the Paris Opera Competition at the Théâtre de Champs-Elysées.

Gareth Dafydd Morris

Tenor, United Kingdom

Gareth Dafydd Morris studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music. A member of Welsh National Opera, Gareth recently sung Jim in the world premiere of Will Todd's Migrations, PR Agent in Al Wasl for the Dubai Expo, the roles of Karataev and Konovitsyn in War and Peace (also at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), Giudice Un ballo in maschera, Cherevin and off stage voice From the House of the Dead (also for the International Janacek Festival in Brno, Czech Republic), Streshnev in Khovanshchina, Kaherdin Le Vin Herbe and Major Domo Der Rosenkavalier. Selected roles elsewhere include Faust in Boito's Mefistofele and title role in Roberto Devereux (Opera Valladolid), Triquet Eugene Onegin (Opera Holland Park), Borsa Rigoletto, Bardolfo Falstaff, 1st Servant Capriccio (Grange Park Opera), Rodolfo La Bohème and Cavaradossi Tosca (OperaUpClose), Jenik The Bartered Bride (Kentish Opera), Alfred Die Fledermaus and Camille The Merry Widow (Opera della Luna).

Morris performs internationally in concert and oratorio and has broadcast as a soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4. He was runner up in the Wagner Society's Singing Competition in November 2015 and won the President's Award.

Signe Heiberg

Soprano, Denmark

Signe Heiberg was born in Copenhagen. After completing her Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance at the Royal Danish Academy of Music she moved to Hamburg graduating in 2016 with a master's degree in opera performance. During her studies, Signe Heiberg had the opportunity to sing roles such as Susanna in Sancta Susanna and Hanna Glawari Die lustige Witwe.

In the years following she was a member of the soloist ensemble at Theater Lüneburg making her debut as Desdemona Otello. Further roles include Contessa Le nozze di Figaro, Feldmarschallin Der Rosenkavalier and Senta Der fliegende Holländer. In 2019 she made her role and house debut at Neue Eutiner Festspiele as Amelia Un ballo in maschera. The same year she made her Austrian debut as Rosalinde Die Fledermaus at the 30th anniversary of the Herbsttage Blindenmarkt.  She has been an ensemble member at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven since season 2021 performing roles such as Lady Macbeth Macbeth and the title roles of Rusalka and Tosca.

Artjoms Safronovs

Tenor, Latvia

Born in Riga, Artjoms Safronovs gained early recognition by winning the Grand Prix at the 2004 Russian Culture in Latvia competition. Graduating with honors from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in 2009 and the P.I. Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in 2012 studying under Zurab Sotkilava, since 2011 Safronovs has been associated with the Moscow Academic Music Theater becoming a soloist there in 2013. His repertoire includes Rudolfo La Bohème, Pinkerton Madama Butterfly, Lensky Eugene Onegin, Herman Queen of Spades, Maurizio Adriana Lecouvreur, Don Carlo Don Carlo. Safronovs is a soloist at the Latvian National Opera since 2019 and subsequently he has appeared as Max Der Freischütz (Reinsberg) and in concert as Erik Der fliegende Holländer in Kazan and Moscow. More recently he was invited to perform at Wiesbaden Opera House.

Deirdre Angenent

Mezzo-soprano, Netherlands

Deirdre Angenent graduated from ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem and obtained her Master’s degree at the Dutch National Opera Academy in The Hague/Amsterdam. In 2012 she received the Wagner Stipendium Bayreuth from the Dutch Wagner Society. In 2015 she won the Grand Prix de l'Opera in Bucharest, third prize in both the Leyla Gencer Competition in Istanbul and the Elizabeth Connell Prize in Sydney and the first prize in Valsesia Musica International Competition in Varallo. In 2014, she was a prize winner at IVC 's-Hertogenbosch. In the 2020-2021 season she made her debut as Leonore Fidelio (Metz). Other past engagements include Waldtaube Gurre-Lieder, Fenena Nabucco, Judit Bluebeard's Castle, Sieglinde and Venus Tannhäuser (Essen), Komponist Ariadne auf Naxos (Lausanne and Meiningen), Gertrud Hänsel und Gretel and Vitellia La Clemenza di Tito. Deirdre Angenent sang Verdi's Requiem in Tonhalle Zürich in the 2022-2023 season, and more recently with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Bochumer Symphoniker as Judit Bluebeard’s Castle.

James Edgar Knight

Tenor, Australia

James Edgar Knight was born in Sydney and raised in Australia, Hong Kong, and California. Trained and educated in New York City he holds a bachelor’s degree from the Mannes School of Music and a master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Knight was in the soloist ensemble at Theater Osnabrück from 2021-2024 where he sang the title roles of Peter Grimes and Don Carlo, Arturo Lucia di Lammermoor, Max Piccolomini Wallenstein, Graf Tassilo Gräfin Mariza, Gabriel von Eistenstein Die Fledermaus, and Manolios The Greek Passion. Prior to this he was an ensemble member at Theater Chemnitz where roles included: Don José Carmen, Duca di Mantova Rigoletto, Tamino Die Zauberflöte, Jaquino Fidelio, Wagner/Nereo Mefistofele, and Froh Das Rheingold.  Previous roles at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe are Cavaradossi Tosca, Maurizio Adriana Lecouvreur, Gabriele Adorno Simon Boccanegra, Alfredo Germont La Traviata, Macduff Macbeth, Fenton Falstaff, Lucio Silla Lucio Silla, Tybalt Roméo et Juliette, Jonas Le Prophète, Junger Diener Elektra, and Freddy Eynsford Hill My Fair Lady.

James Edgar Knight has undertaken studies with a wide range of prominent singers and teachers including: Neil Shicoff, John Treleaven, Rockwell Blake, Arthur Levy, and Dan Marek. He was a finalist in the Queen Sonja International Music Competition, the 57th Tenor Viñas Competition, and has received awards from The Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition and the Opera Index Vocal Competition.

Joanna Parisi

Soprano, Italy

Soprano Joanna Parisi is a dual citizen of Italy and USA and made her debut in the title role of Tosca in Central Park, New York, a role she will reprise in 2024 in Brazil. Her Wagnerian roles include Elsa Lohengrin and Elisabeth Tannhäuser. Verdi roles include Elisabetta di Valois Don Carlo, the title role of Aida, Leonora Il trovatore, Leonora La forza del destino, Amelia Un ballo in maschera, Abigaille Nabucco, Desdemona Otello among others. Her verismo roles include performances of Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana, Maddalena de Coigny Andrea Chenier, and the title roles of Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly. She performs both the title role of Carmen in Seoul, South Korea and in New York, and Micaëla Carmen in Italy and Brazil.

Awards includes: the Maria Callas Tribute Prize from the Italian Consulate in New York in 2022, awarded to those who stand out in the world of Italian culture, art and social justice; The Next Generation of Great Opera Singers by WQXR Classical Radio of New York; district winner in NY state from The Metropolitan Opera National Council; and quarterfinalist in Operalia, the World Opera Competition.

Parisi studied opera performance at the Purchase Conservatory the Juilliard School in New York, and engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Johanna Will

Soprano, Germany

German soprano Johanna Will graduated from the Mannes School of Music in New York City and from the Hochschule für Musik Hamburg, Germany. She has been awarded the Rolex Scholarship as the youngest participant to attend the Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto in Italy. In 2021 she was selected for the Merola Opera Program of the San Francisco Opera. Stage credits include Tatyana Eugene Onegin, Contessa Le nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi Cosí fan tutte, Mimi La Bohème, and Suor Angelica. Recent performances include concert engagements with the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra, the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra, the opening of the Viennese Opera Ball NYC and at the International Opera Festival Albania with the Tirana Symphony Orchestra. Other highlights include performing at NOSPR in Poland under Marin Alsop, joining the season's final concert at the Granada Theater (Santa Barbara) with conductor Speranza Scappucci, and her Chinese debut with the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra. In 2025 she will make her debut as Senta Der fliegende Holländer in St. Margarethen, Austria.

Matthew Arnold

Tenor, USA

2023 Grammy Nominated Tenor and twice Finalist in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition, Arnold’s awards include Third Place in the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition, the Encouragement Award at the 2015-2017 Heafner-Williams Competition, and The Encouragement Award in 2015 from Chautauqua Opera and the Verdi Award from the Orpheus National Vocal Competition in April 2014.

Arnold has sung with opera companies including the Castleton Festival, AJ Fletcher Opera Institute, Piedmont Opera, Opera Roanoke, North Carolina Opera, and Chautauqua Opera. Recent role performances include The Ring Announcer Champion (Boston Lyric Opera), Policeman/Reporter in X: The Life and Times of Malcom X, Bacchus Ariadne auf Naxos (Miami Music Festival/Fletcher Opera Institute), Don José Carmen, Siegmund Die Walküre, and Florestan Fidelio. He holds a bachelor’s begree in voice from the University of Delaware, a Master of Music degree in voice from the UNC Greensboro, and the Artist Diploma from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Arnold currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts where he is Organist and Director of Music at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Marblehead.

Meredith Bloomfield

Sopran, USA

Meredith Bloomfield is an American soprano based in Berlin, Germany. She is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and Pennsylvania State University. In 2023, she made her role debut as Senta Der fliegende Holländer (West Bay Opera, California). She recently performed at a gala concert at the Markgräfliches Opernhaus in Bayreuth with the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach, and Helmwige/Dritte Norn/Brünnhilde in ‘The Ring in One Evening’ at the Sawyer Theater in New Hampshire. She was featured in filmed excerpts of Tosca in the Amazon Prime movie Sachertorte, released in 2022. In 2021, she sang Gerhilde Die Walküre (Stadttheater Klagenfurt) and other roles include Freia Das Rheingold, the title role in Tosca, and Leonore Fidelio. Her performances on the concert stage include Johan de Meij’s Symphony No. 5 – Return to Middle Earth (Bläserphilharmonie Rhein-Main), Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Williamsport Symphony), and John Rutter’s Requiem (Carnegie Hall). She was named Winner of the American Prize for Women in Opera in 2018 and further awards include a Grant from the Solti Foundation and an Encouragement Award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition.

Samuel Levine

Tenor, USA

Samuel Levine was born in Boston and trained at The Juilliard School. Specializing in Wagnerian, Slavic, English and contemporary repertoire he has sung at the Hamburg Staatsoper, Oper Köln, Oper Frankfurt, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Irish National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, as well as the Houston Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonie, and Carnegie Hall.

Recent highlights include the World Premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino’s Venere e adone (Hamburg/Nagano), the title role of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius (Berlin Philharmonie), Skuratov From the house of the dead Jimmy Oryx and Crake (Wiesbaden), Edrisi Krol Roger (Frankfurt/Cambreling), Walther Tannhäuser (Klagenfurt/Carter), and Vogelgesang Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Frankfurt/Weigle). He was a Young Artist at the Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, a Fellow at the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals, and has won prizes from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Gerda Lissner Foundation, and Opera Index vocal competitions.

Sarah-Jane Lewis

Soprano, United Kingdom

Sarah-Jane Lewis studied at the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London. In 2017, she became a Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne and a Link Artist at the Royal Opera House. She has performed the role of Giorgetta Il Tabarro (English Touring Opera), Serena Porgy and Bess (Grange Park Opera), La Marchesa del Poggio Un giorno di regno (Chelsea Opera Group), and Annina La Traviata (English National Opera). She has also performed live on BBC Radio 2 and 3, and in Japan, Cuba, Italy, France, Amsterdam, Switzerland, America, Argentina, Russia, and Pakistan.

She is the recipient of numerous awards which include second prize Kathleen Ferrier Awards 2014, first prize Hampshire Singing Competition 2013, and first prize Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award 2012. She has received support and sponsorship from the Josephine Baker Trust, Concordia Foundation, John Lewis Award, Peter Moores Foundation, Lucille Graham / Madeline Finden Trust, Countess of Munster and Nicholas John trusts, English National Opera and Royal Opera House.

Shanley Horvitz

Soprano, USA

American soprano recently made debuts with the Wagner Society of New York in a concert performing Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, and with Opera San Jose as Meg Page Falstaff. She has had success in competitions winning first prizes in the Czech and Slovak Competition, International Orpheus Competition, Mario Lanza Institute Competition, and the Houston Gilbert & Sullivan Competition. Other recent debuts include Anacoana Cristoforo Colombo (Teatro Grattacielo) and in Carmen at Carnegie Hall. Originally from New Jersey, she is a distinguished graduate of Westminster Choir College and most recently appeared as La GranVestale La Vestale.

Tamara Morozová

Soprano, Slovakia

Slovak-born spinto soprano Tamara Morozová is a graduate of the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Prague and laureate of the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in 2021, where she received the Audience Jury Prize and the special prize of the National Theatre, Prague. She made her professional debut on the stage of the National Theatre in Prague in 2022, performing the roles of Margaret and Shadow in Erwin Schulhoff'sF lamme, directed by Calixto Bieito. Her repertoire includes among others Ariadne Ariadne auf Naxos, Agathe Der Freischütz, Tatyana Eugene Onegin, The Foreign Princess Rusalka, and First Lady Die Zauberflöte. Tamara has been honored with several scholarships, including those from the Bayreuther Festspiele, Jungeoper Weikersheim, IsaOperaVienna, and Junge Musiker Stiftung. She has participated in masterclasses led by Edda Moser, Daphne Evangelatos, and Marga Schiml.

Youngkug Jin

Bass-baritone, South Korea

Youngkug Jin graduated from Myong-Ji University and the Hochschule of Music Nürnberg, Germany. He first started singing classical music at the age of 26 and made his opera debut as Sarastro Die Zauberflöte (Seoul). From 2020 to 2022, he was a member of the International Opera Elite Studio at Theater Lübeck. Here he sang The Bonze Madama Butterfly and Pietro Simon Boccanegra. More recently, he sang Caspar Der Freischütz (Ettlingen Castle Festival), Alberich Das Rheingold, and the title role in Der fliegende Holländer. He was scholarship winner at The Second International Opera Workshop Waiblingen and is invited on scholarship to the 2024 Bayreuth Festspiele.