The casting for all voice types (age of applicants: 18-39 years) will be conducted in two stages:

1. Remote video submissions – from June 18 to July 15, 2024;
2. In-person auditions in St. Petersburg – from July 16 to 18, 2024.

At the Festival, which will take place from August 12-18, 2024, in Sochi, the finalists of the casting will perform in a series of concerts dedicated to the 225th anniversary of A.S. Pushkin's birth and in a semi-staged version of Sergei Rachmaninoff's opera "Aleko."

Alongside Mariinsky Theatre soloists Anna Denisova, Yuri Vorobiev, Vladislav Kupriyanov, Yulia Matochkina, Mikhail Petrenko, and Sergey Skorokhodov, the finalists will participate in rehearsals and the premiere of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Tsar's Bride" on an open stage in the mountains of Sochi.

For the young participants of the festival's educational program, experienced mentors Oksana Shilova and Yuri Vorobiev will conduct master classes, which have become an essential creative part of the "Rosa Khutor. Classics" festival.

The concertmaster is Anatoly Kuznetsov, the director is Ilya Ustyantsev, and the conductor and artistic director of the festival is Alexey Aslanov.

The competition is held with the support of the Alexey Aslanov Charitable Foundation.

Participation process:

1. Full Name (Surname, First Name, Patronymic)
2. Brief resume
3. Photograph
4. Contact phone number for feedback
5. Scan of the signed Consent for the processing of personal data
6. Three video recordings

These documents must be sent to the email address casting@fesfoundation.ru .

For questions regarding the competition, please contact the casting director of the educational program and executive producer of the festival, Tatyana Antonovskaya (mobile: +7 911 097 84 38).

Please review the Competition Regulations and Consent Form for the processing of personal data:

• Regulations.pdf
• Consent.pdf

History of the International Casting for Young Opera Singers

The originality of this unique event in Russia lies in the creation of new opera productions amidst high mountain landscapes, specially designed for the festival's rich program. This highlights the location's uniqueness through the genre presentation of performances. The festival serves as an advocate of classical musical art, transforming Sochi into a magical kingdom of music, an experimental opera laboratory, establishing wonderful new traditions. The festival's educational program consistently discovers new talents, inspiring and forming creative alliances among young talents. These young talents undergo the All-Russian casting, master classes, prepare solo performances, overcome a complex set of rehearsals, and ultimately become participants in the premiere alongside brilliant stage stars.

Organized by the F.E.S. Foundation in collaboration with the Performium School, the educational program from July 20 to August 18 provides a powerful impetus for young professionals in search of their own creative path. After selection, ten participants will join the festival events: four days of master classes by leading opera singers of Russia, participation in rehearsals and the premiere of "The Tsar's Bride" opera, and in the festival's concert program. Through interactions with "major artists" during master classes, rehearsals, or informal interactions within the festival life, an extraordinarily rich, interesting space for the young participants' creative development is created. Winners are offered the opportunity to sign work contracts for participation in future projects conducted by the F.E.S. Foundation (Forma. Energia. Scæna).

For the winners of the 2022 casting, the prize was participation in the I Sochi Festival of Classical Music, performing in the premiere of "Carmen" in roles such as Morales, Mercedes, Frasquita, Dancaïro, and Remendado, and a concert at the Alice Debolskaya Organ and Chamber Music Hall. They also honed their stagecraft and musical interpretation skills in master classes with true experts like Agunda Kulaeva, Vladislav Sulimsky, Alexey Tatarintsev, and Oksana Shilova.

The 2023 casting became an international competition, attracting applications from Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, and other countries. In addition to the premiere of "Turandot," finalists performed new, previously unsung pieces, explored the unknown, and mastered new vocal techniques, overcoming significant vocal challenges generously spread across the scores by the composers.

Interest in the casting is enormous, as victory almost guarantees a career boost and acceptance into the leading theaters of the country. "Successfully addressing the typical creative strategy and tactical tasks of such a large-scale project, we also strive to focus on two crucial aspects. Firstly, the fate of young talented singers, for whom the 'Rosa Khutor. Classics' Festival becomes a rare springboard to universal recognition and, consequently, a sought-after starting point for a stage career with immense potential. Secondly, the festival, in its second year, has gained international status. The classical music project has become one of the most prestigious creative platforms in the country, significantly enhancing cultural exchange in the context of inter-state relations," comments Dmitry Dedukh, Executive Director of the F.E.S. Foundation and General Producer of the "Rosa Khutor. Classics" festival.

Grateful to their teachers for their creative and craft secrets, after the casting and successful performances at the festival in the mountainous Sochi, young talents join the ranks of theaters and creative groups, including the Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky Theatres, the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, "Saint Petersburg Opera," "Zazerkalye," and the Rossini Festival in Pesaro.