The Oper! Awards have announced the winners of the 2020 edition.

Bruno de Sá was given the Best Newcomer award while tenor Benjamin Bernheim was recognized as Best Male Singer. Anita Rachvelishvili was Best Female Singer and Hans Neuenfels was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Best Performance went to the Opéra National de Paris’ “Les Indes Galantes,” while Best World Premiere was bestowed upon “Macbeth Underworld” at the Théâtre de la Monnaie.

Best Comeback went to “Lanzelot” at the Nationaltheater Weimar and Theater Erfurt.

The Vienna Philharmonic won Best Orchestra; the Chor der Oper Köln won Best Choir; and the Junge Opern Rhein-Rhur took home Best Education Programme.

Piotr Beczala was the winner of the Best Solo Album category for “Vincerò” while Best Opera Recording went to “Benvenutto Cellini” conducted by John Eliot Gardner. The recording stars Michael Spyres in the title role.

Best Costume design went to Josa Max for his work on “The Smith of Ghent” while Best Stage Designer was given to Ersan Mondtag for the same opera. Tobias Kratzer was named Best Director.

Oksana Lyniv was the winner of the Best Conductor prize while the Salzburg Festival took home Best Festival. Hannover State Opera was the recipient of the Best Opera House award while the Best Benefactors prize went to Music-supporting testing laboratories. The award for Biggest Nuisance was given out to “The lack of imagination and passive self-victimization of opera houses during the pandemic.”