The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition has announced that Icelandic competitor, Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdottir, has had to withdraw from the competition.

In a statement, the competition said, “Like all our singers Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir has taken and passed repeated COVID Tests but yesterday she received a track and trace notification after flying here from Iceland. We must follow the official guidance which means, unfortunately, that Álfheiður has had to withdraw from the competition.”

As a result, the singer has been invited to perform for the 40th anniversary of the competition in 2023.

The competition also announced an official reserve singer, Claire Barnett-Jones from England, who will compete in tonight’s competition. Barnett-Jones has performed at the Grange Opera Festival, Scottish Opera, and Oper Frankfurt.