Alberto Vilar

It is my great privilege and pleasure to have the opportunity to work with Plácido Domingo, mostly by funding the prize money , to make Operalia, one of the most prestigious competitions in the entire opera world.

Paris is the most appropriate place for Operalia to commemorate its tenth anniversary, since it all began here. It is indeed fitting that it returns here this year, to mark its first decade and celebrate the talents of extraordinary young people who will go on to illuminate the major opera stages of the world with their skills. Their voices hold the promise of great performances filled with passion, vibrancy, romance, and power. The range of emotions they convey to the listener is not all that different from that evoked by Paris itself-a city imbued with history, culture, and magic.

Committed to helping tomorrow's operatic stars shine, Operalia is playing a vital role in ensuring that in the future there will be true virtuosos to preserve opera's extraordinary legacy. In the ten years since its inception, hundreds of singers from throughout the world have had the opportunity to take part. Many of them have gone on to appear at such illustrious venues as La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Opera de Paris, and Covent Garden.

My dear friend the magnificent Placido Domingo, deserves tremendous accolades for creating Operalia. It is truly my honor to join him in Paris this year in this endeavor.

Opera is my passion, and I have made it my personal mission to do all that I can to enhance, preserve, and promote its beauty. I am thrilled to be playing a role in nurturing young artists through my involvement with Operalia and other training programs around the world.

I have no doubt that among the talented performers we will have the pleasure of witnessing in this competition are artists we will be hearing great things from for many years to come. By competing in Operalia, they are kindling the sparks of careers which I am sure will illuminate the world of Opera well into the future.


©2002 Operalia