The 2026 Operalia Competition finalists have been announced after the semi-finals.

The Finalists Opera are: 

Alikhan Beisekov, baritone, Kazakhstan
Vladyslav Buialskyi, bass-baritone, Ukraine
Roman Chabaranok, bass, Ukraine
Robert Lewis, tenor, UK
Zihao Li, baritone, China
Tessa McQueen, soprano, USA
Emma Marhefka, soprano, USA
Junhyeok Felix Park, baritone, South Korea
Sungmin Park, bass, South Korea
Kirill Sikora, tenor, Russia
Jiazhou Wang, baritone, China
Gonghao Zhang, baritone, China

The Finalists Zarzuela are: 

Vladyslav Buialskyi, bass-baritone, Ukraine
Eleomar Cuello, baritone, Cuba
Sofía Esparza, soprano, Spain
Emma Marhefka, soprano, USA
Robert Lewis, tenor, UK
Jiazhou Wang, baritone, China

The  Operalia competition is taking place in Shanghai and the finals will be held on Nov. 1, 2026. The jury is made up of industry leaders from the Metropolitan Opera, Dutch National Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and Wiener Staatsoper, among others.

Previous winners include Ekaterine Buachidze, Mihai Damian, Kathleen O’Mara, Le Bu, Juliana Grigoryan, Anthony León, Adriana Gonzalez, Xabier Anduaga, Adela Zaharia, and Levy Sekgapane.