TIRANA, Nov. 1 – Italy’s Alessio Arduini has been announced the winner of this year’s edition of the Marie Kraja international operatic festival held last weekend at the Academy of Arts in Tirana. The young Italian baritone was awarded the prestigious prize of Albania’s only festival of this kind by an international jury for his impressive performance of a Mozart aria.
The second prize went to Turkish soprano Pervin Chakar while Italian mezzosoprano grabbed the third prize.
The 17 short-listed candidates for the festival named after Marie Kraja, one of Albania’s most famous opera singers, came from three continents. North America was represented with the United States and Mexico, Europe with Spain, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Russia. Asia’s only contestant was South Korea. Meanwhile, apart from Albania, Greece and Macedonia were the two other Balkan participants.
Established in 1999, soon after soprano Marie Kraja passed away at the age of 88, the festival was initially held as a national competition, before becoming Albania’s only internationally renowned operatic festival in the next few editions.
The careers of several young performers including Albanian tenor Josif Gjipali, soprano Evis Mula, Belgium’s Micheal Fisch and Turkey’s Perihan Diana Nayir kicked off at the Marie Kraja festival.
Last year, young soprano Evis Mula managed to sign a two-year contract with La Scala, Milan’s world famous Opera House after winning the Marie Kraja festival.
The festival has been produced and hosted by Zana Cela in all its 11 editions.
Marie Kraja festival announces winners
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