105 Singers Invited to this year’s Éva Marton International Singing Competition

The preliminary jury, chaired by soprano Éva Marton prof. em. KS. with Kossuth Prize-winning opera singer Péter Fried, faculty member of the Liszt Academy, and conductor Kálmán Szennai, reviewed all applications before deciding who would be invited to the live rounds taking place in early September.

In the end, 105 young singers were selected, including several returning competitors and four finalists from previous editions of the competition. Sopranos form the largest group with 39 participants, while mezzo-sopranos, tenors, and baritones/bass-baritones are each represented by 19 singers, alongside 9 basses. By nationality, the largest contingent comes from South Korea with 29 competitors, accompanied by numerous singers from China and Russia, as well as participants from Poland, Hungary, the United States, Norway, Brazil, Italy, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Commenting on the selection process, Éva Marton noted that the exceptionally high number of applicants arriving from virtually every region of the world demonstrates that the competition continues to command significant international attention. “The standard of the applicants is outstanding, and remarkably consistent very broadly. This means that during the live rounds, advancement will ultimately depend on nuances and on the quality of each singer’s performance in that very moment,” she added. She also emphasized the exemplary level of dedication and preparation evident among applicants from the Far East, many of whom study in Europe and have therefore already become deeply acquainted with Western musical culture. According to Marton, the preliminary jury also considered the applicants’ achievements to date alongside vocal quality and talent, as these serve as indicators of their future artistic potential. She further observed that, compared with previous editions of the Marton Competition, the average age of contestants is now younger, typically between 24 and 30 years old.

The live rounds of the competition will take place between 31 August and 6 September 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. The preliminary, semifinal, and final rounds will be held at the Liszt Academy, while the gala concert takes place at the Hungarian State Opera.

Thanks to the competition’s customary high-quality online broadcasts, performances will also be accessible to audiences worldwide. In addition to the principal prizes, numerous special awards — including performance opportunities — will also be presented. Following tradition, contestants in the preliminary rounds will be required to perform a song by Liszt. In the final and gala concerts, singers will appear accompanied by the Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera under the baton of Kálmán Szennai.

The international jury will once again be chaired by Éva Marton and composed of distinguished figures from Hungarian and international opera life. Returning jurors include Miguel Lerín, one of Spain’s most influential artistic managers; Peter Mario Katona, Casting Director of London’s Royal Opera House; Ukrainian-born tenor and vocal coach Anatoli Goussev, who lives and works in Italy; Italian tenor Vittorio Terranova; Dmitry Vdovin, Director of the Bolshoi Theatre’s Youth Opera Program; mezzo-soprano Andrea Meláth, Head of the Vocal Department at the Liszt Academy; and Szilveszter Ókovács, General Director of the Hungarian State Opera.

Joining the jury for the first time will be Turkish-German mezzo-soprano Deniz Uzun, recipient of the Éva Marton Special Prize at the competition’s fourth edition in 2021. A graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington, Uzun became a member of the Komische Oper Berlin ensemble following her successful appearance in Budapest. She has recently made debuts at Madrid’s Teatro Real and Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, toured with The Cleveland Orchestra including performances at Carnegie Hall, and is soon to appear at the Opéra de Marseille.

Since 2014, the Liszt Academy has organized the Éva Marton International Singing Competition every two years, although the fourth edition, originally planned for 2020, was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. Since 2019, the competition has also been a member of the prestigious World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC).