The 16th annual OPERA NEWS awards have been announced.

Editor in Chief F. Paul Driscoll announced the recipients who will include mezzo-soprano Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano and artistic director Cecilia Bartoli and tenor, producer and activist Lawrence Brownlee.

This year the annual awards ceremony will be held virtually on April 18, 2021 with a special musical tribute.

In a statement, Driscoll said, “This year has been a dark one in the world of opera—and in the world in general. We have been blessed to have the glorious artistry of Dame Janet Baker, Cecilia Bartoli and Lawrence Brownlee as a source of inspiration and light. In this year, which marks the first time that the OPERA NEWS Awards will be celebrated virtually, it is fitting that we will honor three singers who stand as champions of innovation and change in music and in the world.”