(Credit: Singing Competition for Baroque Opera “Pietro Antonio Cesti”)

Countertenor Maximiliano Danta has been named the winner of the 15th Cesti Competition of the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.

As part of his first-place placement, the countertenor from Uruguay won an engagement as part of Resonanzen Wien.

The final took place on August 30, 2024, and featured 11 finalists, each presenting an aria from Vivaldi’s “Il Giustino.” The opera will be presented next year as part of Barockoper: Jung at the Innsbruck Festival Weeks.

Coming in second place was soprano Jiayu Jin from China and third place went to France’s Brenda Poulard. The audience prize winner was Pelka Vojtěch while the young talent award went to mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Chayka-Rubinstein from Germany.

In addition to the main prize winners, several of the finalists received other prizes and engagements. Australian soprano Lauren Lodge-Campbell was promptly hired by Il Gusto Barocco and Jörg Halubek while Croatia’s Lucjia Varsic was awarded a place in the 2025 Masterclass with Anna Bonitatibus as well as a medal award from Radio Kalssik Stephansdom.

The jury for the competition featured Sebastian Schwarz (Artistic Director of the Festival della Valle d’Itria), Ottavio Dantone (Musical Director of the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music), opera singer Anna Bonitatibus, Andrea Cigni (Intendant of the Teatro Ponchielli of Cremona and the Monteverdi Festival), opera singer Vivica Genaux, Henning Ruhe (Artistic Director of the Gothenburg Opera), opera singer Michael Schade (Artistic Director of the International Baroque Days Stift Melk) and Eitan Sorek (Sorek Artists Management).