Baritone Hae Kang won the top prize at the first edition of the Cascais Opera International Vocal Competition, taking the cash purse of 10,000€ and a performance contract from the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon.

Accompanied by the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa under conductor Tom Woods, Kang showcased a warm and beautifully assertive tone, crystalline diction and an impeccably schooled technique. As one of the eight finalists, he offered the capacity audience a rousing rendition of “Hai già vinta la causa,” Almaviva’s aria from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; followed by a brightly theatrical and flawless rendering of “Largo al factotum” from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

Born in South Korea in 1994, Kang was trained at the Yonsei University in Seoul, followed by further study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2023, he also won 1st prize at the prestigious Concorso Internazionale Voci Verdiane in Busetto, Italy, which launched his professional debut in several regional houses throughout Europe.

The evening’s other notable winner was Portuguese Silvia Sequeira, an impressive young dramatic soprano, who captured both the audience’s choice prize and the 7500€ Teresa Berganza 1st prize in the category for female and treble voices. With generous volume and a gorgeously toned instrument, Sequeira offered “Mi tradì quell’alma ingrata” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni; and “Pace, pace mio Dio” from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino.

This was the inaugural edition of Cascais Opera’s international competition, presented with plans to be an annual competition event, held under the auspices of the Portuguese Égide arts association and the municipality of Cascais. There were 213 on-line applicants this year, of which 47 candidates from 18 different countries were invited to compete in person, from which the eight finalists were selected. A complete list of winners is available at Cascais Opera’s website.