Greek National Opera, housed at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, was host to the 2025 International Opera Awards in November. What was wonderful was its overview of the entire world of opera – not only in Europe but also in North America and Asia.
MC’d by BBC radio personality Petroc Trelawny, the evening rolled on with exciting awards given to all aspects of opera, from the most visible (singers, conductors) to the less visible (directors and designers) to the least visible but often the most important (equal opportunity programs and sustainability programs).
Petroc Trelawny (© Akriviadis Charis)
It opened with the award for Equal Opportunities, given to Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors. Despite their declared progress in promoting 60 women into opera directorships, it was only men from Dallas Opera who showed up to accept the award.
David Lomeli and Quincy Roberts from The Dallas Opera (© Akriviadis Charis)
The award, based on a figurine from the Early Bronze Age held by the Cycladic Museum and dating from 3200–2800 BC, was a fitting emblem of Greece’s longevity in the arts and of its position as a cradle of culture.
White marble figurine, Early Bronze Age, 3200–2800BC (Athens: Cycladic Museum)
The Philanthropy award was given to C. Graham Berwind III, a long-time sponsor of the Metropolitan Opera.
C. Graham Berwind III (© Akriviadis Charis)
Six opera houses were nominated for the Sustainability award, from opera houses that used their roofs to offset their use of electricity to houses that created multiple-use scenery. The award went to the Teatro Real, Madrid, for their photovoltaic roof, becoming the first historical building to integrate solar panels. The original Teatro Real was built starting in 1818 and had a major renovation between 1991 and 1997.
Teatro Real, Madrid, 2025 (photo by Fernando)
Designer of the year was Paolo Fantin, who in recent years has designed for all the major opera houses in Europe, including the recent premiere of Il nome della rosa for La Scala in Milan.
Paolo Fantin (© Akriviadis Charis)
The Rising Star award was split between mezzo-soprano Adèle Charvet and counter-tenor Hugh Cutting
Antonio Vivaldi: L’Olimpiade, RV 725, Act II: Siam navi all’onde algenti (Adèle Charvet, mezzo-soprano; Le Consort, Ensemble; Théotime Langlois de Swarte, cond.)
Maurice Ravel: 5 Mélodies populaires grecques (excerpts) – No. 1. Chanson de la mariée (Hugh Cutting, counter-tenor; Audrey Hyland, piano)
For New Production, the award was given to a co-production of the National Theatre Brno, the Staatsoper Berlin, and the Teatro Real of Leoš Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr Brouček.
TRAILER | THE EXCURSIONS OF MR. BROUČEK Janáček – National Theatre Brno
The conductor Alain Altinoglu, chief conductor of the La Monnaie opera in Brussels, was awarded the Conductor Prize.
Jules Massenet: Thérèse – Act I: Prélude (Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier; Alain Altinoglu, cond.)
Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee was awarded the Male Singer Award. His recent work includes Macbeth and Amfortas for Opera Frankfurt, and Wotan in Das Rheingold for the Paris Opera. He returned later in the program to perform Scarpia’s “Te Deum” from Tosca with the Greek National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, being suitably evil in the role.
Nicholas Brownlee with the GNO Chorus (© Akriviadis Charis)
The Good Governance Award for Leadership in Opera was given to Anthony Freud as recognition of his outstanding three-decade contribution to the global opera industry.
The first award for Musical Theatre was given this year, in recognition of the intrinsic link between musical theatre and opera. Productions were from the US (3), France (1), the UK (1), and Italy (1). The list of nominees was puzzling, as it included music theatre from 1948 to 1996 and nothing newer; Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Gypsy (1959), Love Life (1948), Rent (1996), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), West Side Story (1957). The award went to Glimmerglass Opera’s production of Sunday in the Park with George.
Glimmerglass’ acceptance of their award (© Akriviadis Charis)
In a survey run by Opera Magazine with Opera News, the Readers’ Award went to Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka. She returned later in the program for a solo appearance with an excerpt from a Puccini opera.
Marina Rebeka (© Akriviadis Charis)
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award to Greek mezzo-soprano Agnes Baltsa, who has performed in Athens since 1959 and made one of her last appearances at the opening opera for Greek National Opera’s new home at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Culture Center in 2017, where she sang Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ Elektra.
Agnes Baltsa with GNO Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis (© Akriviadis Charis)
The Director Award was given to Claus Guth, recognised for his staging of Salome for the Metropolitan Opera.
Recognition for old works finding new audiences discovered Opéra de Dijon’s production of Baldassare Galuppi’s 1762 L’uomo femina, set on an island where women rule and men are overruled until a handsome castaway makes everyone rethink the nature of power.
The Château de Versailles Spectacles was given the award for Complete Opera Recording for their production of Lully’s tragedy Atys, conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón.
The Award for Solo Recording, presented by Costa Pilavachi, head of music for the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, went to Ann Hallenberg for her recording of Gluck arias with The Mozartists on Signum. This was the third time she’d won an International Opera Awards prize.
Christoph Willibald Gluck: Il trionfo di Clelia, Act I Scene 5: Aria: Resta, o cara (Ann Hallenberg, mezzo-soprano; The Mozartists; Ian Page, cond.)
For the newest operas, the award for World Premiere went to Festen by Mark-Anthony Turnage and Lee Hall, presented by The Royal Opera.
The award for Female Singer went to Asmik Grigorian, capping her Paris Opera season, where she sang all three heroines in Puccini’s Il trittico.
The evening closed with the Festival of the Year going to the Janáček Brno Festival, and the Opera company of the year was the MusikTheater an der Wien.
Through the evening, the Greek National Opera Children’s Chorus, Chorus, Ballet, and Orchestra performed with selections from GNO’s recent seasons, introducing many people to Greek operas and composers they may not have been familiar with.
The children’s choir performed Τι θέλω (What I Want ) by Mikis Theodorakis; Maria Kosovitsa sang Perouze’ aria from Act II of Theofrastos Sakellaridis’ Perouze, and Vassiliki Karayanni and Yannis Christopoulos repeated their season opener with a selection from the recently restored Flora Mirabilis by Corfu composer Spyridon Samaras.
The second half of the evening opened with a striking chorus from GNO Artistic Director’s 2021 opera The Murderess, followed by Ali Pasha’s aria and cabaletta from Paolo Carrer’s Frosinni, sung by Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias, who so impressed in last month’s La Gioconda.
Dimitri Platanias performing an aria and cabaletta from Frossini (© Akriviadis Charis)
The evening closed with the GNO Ballet and Orchestra performing a selection from Nikos Skalkottas’ 36 Greek Dances, choreographed by the Ballet Director of the Greek National Opera, Konstantinos Rigos.
As a showcase for the best in all aspects of the very complicated art form of opera, the International Opera Awards successfully brings the best of world opera into focus. This year was the first time Athens hosted. Vienna will host next year.
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