Swedish mezzo-soprano Annie Ternström has won the 12th Elizabeth Connell Prize, taking home the £15,000 first prize at the competition’s final. She is the first mezzo-soprano to win the competition in its history.

The final was held April 19 at the Duke’s Hall of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

For the final, Ternström performed Fricka’s aria “Wo in Bergen… So ist es denn aus” from Wagner’s Die Walküre and Carmen’s “Voyons que j’essaie… En vain pour éviter” from Bizet’s Carmen.

The 27-year-old is currently completing a Master of Arts in musikdramatische Darstellung at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien under mezzo-soprano Michaela Schuster. She recently performed Rossini’s “Petite Messe Solennelle” in Stockholm and the role of Thelma Yablonski in John Musto’s “Later the Same Evening” in Vienna. She is also set to sing her first “Carmen” in Sweden later this year.

“She possesses a strong, potentially dramatic mezzo voice, and at 27, has an innate ability to communicate with her audience and portray characters with a true and honest intensity,” said juror Bernadette Cullen, per an official press release.

The jury also included Wagnerian soprano Dame Anne Evans, tenor Simon O’Neill, English National Opera casting director Matthew Broom, and the organization’s CEO Fiona Janes.

The second prize and Audience Prize of £7,500 and £1,000 respectively went to Songha Lee of South Korea. The £5,000 third prize was awarded to Jenni Hietala of Finland.

The remaining three finalists, including Melissa Gregory (Australia), Ariane Cossette (Canada), and Hyunseo Lee (South Korea), each received £3,000.

Established in memory of the late South African soprano Elizabeth Connell, the prize supports aspiring dramatic female voices under the age of 35.