The International Competition was created with a view to becoming, over the years, a vocal competition of reference for the diffusion and study of Mascagnana and Verismo opera, with the involvement of authoritative experts in the sector, such as theatre superintendents, artistic directors, directors, music critics and renowned teachers.


Winners of the 2024 Mascanian Voices Competition.
First prize to soprano Francesca Maionchi

Livorno. Prizes were awarded in the third edition of the International Mascagnane Voices Competition promoted by the Mascagni Department of Livorno's Teatro Goldoni Foundation. During the final concert open to the public held in the Goldonetta and presented by Paolo Noseda, artistic consultant of the Teatro Goldoni, the jury, chaired by Superintendent of the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia Michele dall'Ongaro, listened to the 14 singers who landed at the final evening from the initial 57 entrants and were selected in two rounds of auditions, awarding the following prizes at the end: first prize to soprano Francesca Maionchi; second prize "Bianca Maria Galli" offered by the Associazione Amici del Teatro Goldoni to baritone Daniele Terenzi; third prize "Soroptimist Club Livorno" to baritone Eric Jang; special prizes "Galliano Masini" to soprano Alessia Battini and "Fidapa Prize" to soprano Rosa Vingiani. "To all unconditionally I want to express my applause and that of the entire jury for the quality shown by all the competitors," said Maestro dall'Ongaro before proceeding to the awards ceremony, "the opera singer knows that in front of him he has a life made up of study, commitment and constant exercise, but which is followed by artistic and personal satisfaction that makes this demanding path rewarding and worth living with passion and dedication. In addition to dell'Ongaro, the jury included Goldoni Theater artistic director Emanuele Gamba, Tirana National Opera and Ballet Theater superintendent Abigeila Voshtina, musicologist Fulvio Venturi and competition artistic director Marco Voleri: "We started only three years ago, and today we have taken another step toward that ever-increasing dissemination and knowledge of the rich heritage that Pietro Mascagni's music and opera represents," he added, "some of the voices we have had the pleasure of hearing will meet them again during our next Festival, and our wish for them is to have the same fine opportunities that their established colleagues in previous editions were able to win on important stages.

Original and most rarely heard was the mascagnana aria performed by the winner during the final: "Fa che i pensier non tornino" from I Rantzau, while baritone Terenzi produced himself in Tartaglia's challenging aria from Le maschere and South Korean baritone Jang in Alfio's impetuous sortie "Il cavallo scalpita" from Cavalleria rusticana.

Francesca Maionchi, born in Lucca, graduated in Lyrical Singing from the "P. Mascagni" Conservatory in Livorno and "G. Frescobaldi" Conservatory in Ferrara with top marks and honors; a former student of the "Mascagni Academy" at the "Mascagni Festival" in Livorno and at the "Puccini Academy," she already has to her credit additional prizes and awards in important competitions and has made her operatic debut in Italy and abroad. At the Goldoni Theater in Livorno, among other things, he was the solo voice in the first ever concert of the Goldoni Orchestra and Chorus on April 10, 2021, which was held behind closed doors because of the covid but was broadcast live on television on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Moby Prince tragedy.


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