The Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition has announced that 62 singers out of 475 applicants have been chosen to participate in the VIII Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition.

The competition announced that the competitors will represent 22 nationalities, including 20 from South Korea, six from the USA, five from Russia, four from Finland, and three from Germany and Ukraine.

In total there will be three countertenors, seven tenors, 20 baritones, two bass-baritones, two basses, two coloratura sopranos, 20 sopranos, and six mezzo-sopranos.

In a press statement the executive director, Marja-Leena Pétas-Arjava said, “The standard of the applicants was excellent. It is also noticeable that top-flight singers clearly cover a wider front than they did five–10 years ago. They show that interest in opera and Western art music has spread, and reflect the speed with which these genres have been appropriated.”

The Mirjam Helin Competition will be held in Helsinki, Finland from May 20 to 29, 2019 with the finals on May 29, 2019. The four best men and four best women will each receive a prize.

The competition will feature an international jury including Olaf Bär, Ben Heppner, Vesselina Kasarova, François Le Roux, Waltraud Meier, Deborah Polaski, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jorma Silvasti (Chairman).