Competitions › Klaudia Taev Competition for Opera Singers
Klaudia Taev Competition for Opera Singers
Overview
International competition for young opera singers founded in 1996 in Pärnu in memory of the singing teacher Klaudia Taev. The 14th edition was held in September 2025 and the next is planned for 2027; the winner sings an opera role of their choice in a PromFest production. Citizens of the Russian Federation were excluded in 2025.
- Organiser
- PromFest (founder Toomas Kuter; artistic director Erki Pehk)
- Instruments
- Voice
- Category
- Opera & general voice
- Age limits
- 2025: women born after 20 September 1994, men born after 20 September 1991
Rules & repertoire
Registration & fee
Registration from 1 April; live audition (EUR 60) or video recording (EUR 120, due 1 June in 2025)
Rounds & time limits
- Round 1: live audition (max 10 min) or video (min 6 min), two contrasting pieces
- Round 2: 6-9 min (at least 36 singers)
- Round 3: 7-10 min (max 26 singers)
- Semi-final: 8-12 min (max 16 singers)
- Final: two arias with orchestra (max 6 singers)
Repertoire
2025: R2 an 18th-century aria (Bach to Mozart) and a short opera/operetta aria; R3 Schubert 'Ave Maria' plus Lieder/romances/songs; semi-final a work composed after 1935 plus an opera aria or scene; final four prepared arias with orchestra (one chosen by singer, one by jury).
Jury & prizes
Jury
Not published on the official pages we could check.Prizes
- Main award: major operatic role in PromFest's 2027 production plus scholarship
- 1st: up to EUR 4,500
- 2nd: up to EUR 3,250
- 3rd: up to EUR 2,000
- Other finalists: at least EUR 500
- Special awards for Schubert 'Ave Maria', Estonian art song and best accompanist; Audience Favourite
Past editions
- 2025 — Pärnu, 14-19 September 2025 source
Summarised from official sources, last checked 11 Nov 2026. Main source