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.
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