The 7th Éva Marton International Singing Competition kicks off

In line with the tradition followed at competitions organized by the Liszt Academy, the youngest contestant, 23-year old Georgian soprano, Tata Razmadze drew the number of the first performer, who will be Russian singer Margarita Gushcha. The other contestants will follow in alphabetical order through the end of the alphabet, and then from the beginning. This order will be valid throughout the competition.

Admission to the six semi-finals (held from Monday through Wednesday) and the two semi-finals on Thursday in the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy is free of charge with no registration required. In these rounds, competitors will take the stage accompanied by piano. Tickets are available for Saturday's final held in the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy, followed by the results announcement, and for Sunday's gala at the Hungarian State Opera, where the special awards will be presented. On these two evenings competitors will be accompanied by the orchestra of the Opera, led by Kálmán Szennai.

Thanks to the competition’s customary high-quality online broadcasts, performances will also be accessible to audiences worldwide. Further details and the whole programme can be found on the martoncompetition.hu website.

The names of those who have qualified for the semi-finals will be revealed on Wednesday evening, and of those who made it to the finals on Thursday evening.

Beside the principal prizes, numerous special awards — including performance opportunities — will also be presented. Éva Marton’s Special Prize, supported by the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA), will be awarded to the contestant whose outstanding performance during the competition is specially honoured by her.

The first competitors registered at the Competition Secretariat on Saturday, several of them had already held rehearsals. The Liszt Academy, organizer of the competition, provides classrooms equipped with pianos for the rehearsals, as well as accompanists if required.  In addition, each contestant can have a so-called acoustic rehearsal in the Solti Hall, where the semi-finals are held.

At the ceremony, Dr. Gábor Farkas, Rector of the Liszt Academy welcomed the guests and participants. He emphasized that the Éva Marton International Singing Competition is one of the institution’s crown jewels, while its namesake, Professor Emerita and legendary teacher of the university, serves as an unparalleled source of inspiration through her extraordinary artistic legacy and her dedication to the next generation. The Rector also welcomed the members of the jury, whose extensive experience is essential to maintaining the competition’s high standing. He noted that the competition’s international recognition is demonstrated by the record-breaking number of applications this year, with 265 valid entries. Finally, he wished the contestants an inspiring and successful performance, reminding them that they have the opportunity to perform at a historic venue that has been shaping the world of classical music for more than 150 years.

In her speech, Professor Emerita Éva Marton recalled the history of the competition and highlighted the importance of including a Liszt song in the repertoire. She explained that Ferenc Liszt is also personally important to her, as he was not only an exceptional musician, composer, and teacher, but also a socially conscious individual and the founder of the Liszt Academy in Budapest. For this reason, a song by him is required to choose. Addressing the contestants, Éva Marton emphasized that one of the strongest group of contestants in the competition’s history had come together this year. She added that although she had already seen and heard their videos during the preliminary selection, she is now interested to see what nuances they would reveal live on stage and how they would filter the songs and arias through their personalities. She also expressed her gratitude to the members of the jury, with whom she has shared decades of friendship and professional connections.