The Siemens Türkiye Opera Contest has announced the winners of its 2025 competition.

Taking first place was soprano Güneş Uluçay, with soprano Nazlican Karakaş and bass Berke Tükenmez taking second place, and tenor Emre Parlar placing third. All the winners received prizes in cast totaling f €7,000.

The competition was run as a hybrid contest with 10 qualifiers invited for the final round at the Süreyya Opera House from Nov. 26 – 28, 2024. They performed for a jury featuring Jury president Stephan Frucht Rosemary Joshua, soprano and former Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera; the Komische Oper’s Eva Pons; Bulak Biligili, the competition’s inaugural winner; Caner Akgün, Director of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and winner of the 2007 Siemens Opera Contest; and Serhan Bali, baritone, classical music researcher, and Editor in Chief of Andante Classical Music.

“Over the years, the Siemens Opera Contest has become firmly established as an essential platform for rising young opera stars in Türkiye,” said Frucht, also Artistic Director of the Siemens Arts Program, per an official statement. “We want not just to advance careers, but also to help safeguard the future of opera as a thriving art form and boost its relevance to society in the country. Performers get to work with our stellar contest jury opens doors to the leading opera companies in Europe, and this direct interaction with prominent figures in the field gives contestants the chance to forge valuable contacts and tap into new career opportunities in different countries and cultures.”