* Winner Shimona Rose receives the Pendine Trophy from Mario Kreft. Pictures by Rick Matthews.
* Runner-up Manon Ogwen Parry.
A gifted soprano from Singapore has been crowned the world’s best young opera singer at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Shimona Rose, 29, outshone
competitors from all around the globe to win the prestigious Pendine
International Voice of the Future title in a thrilling sing-off against
talented Welsh soprano Manon Ogwen Parry.
A delighted Shimona was presented
with the Pendine Trophy – a solid silver salver – and a £3,000 cheque by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of the arts-loving
care organisation, Pendine Park, who sponsor the competition.
The prize came from the Pendine Arts
and Community Trust which was founded by Mario and his wife, Gill, to support
cultural and community initiatives across Wales.
Manon, from Barry in the Vale of
Glamorgan, received a runner’s up prize of
£1,000.
Shimona was overwhelmed by her
success especially as this was her first ever visit to Llangollen Eisteddfod.
She delivered dazzling performances
to make it through initial rounds of the competition which attracted some of
the best young singers from all around the globe.
An original 16 entrants in earlier
heats were whittled down to six semi-finalists before Shimona and Manon were
chosen to sing off in the final.
It is a flagship contest of the
Eisteddfod and attracted a packed crowd into the main pavilion, cheering on the
contestants in the finale night of competitions.
Shimona said: “It has been an
absolute whirlwind.The other competitors were all immensely talented so it is
an incredible honour to be awarded this title. More than that, it is a personal
affirmation for me that this is absolutely what I am meant to do.”
The competition was judged by Martin
Fitzgerald, head of music at the English National Opera, and operatic soprano
Sarah Tynan, a voice professor at the Royal College of Music.
Presenting the Pendine International
Voice for the Future prize, Mario Kreft said the performances of both finalists
were “remarkable”.
He said: “The calibre of singing was
outstanding. These are two such promising talents of the future. It is
heartening to know that through our involvement in sponsoring this competition
we are helping nurture the promising young stars of the future.
“This is exactly why Pendine Arts and
Community Trust got involved in the Llangollen Eisteddfod, to champion the new
generation of talents
in music and the arts, to help them prosper and progress.
“The competition
chimes perfectly with our ethos at Pendine Park because the arts in
general and music
in particular provide the golden thread running through everything
we do to enrich
the lives of our residents and staff alike and can play an incredibly important
role in social care more widely.”
Born in Singapore, where her parents
still live, Shimona started playing the piano aged five before eventually
taking up singing and discovering her love of opera.
She also has experience with choral
music and formed her own jazz band in 2014.
She has been living in London for the
last six years where she is studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Having heard about the Llangollen
International Eisteddfod from a friend and housemate, she said: “He told me how
brilliant it is and he urged me to enter the Pendine International Voice of the
Future contest, so I decided to give it a go.
“When I got here I realised how right
he was. The atmosphere is so friendly and the level of talent from all over the
world is amazing. Everyone supports each other and that takes a lot of the
stress out of competing.
“I’ve been here four days and every
minute it’s been wonderful. I am thinking of coming back next year just to
enjoy the whole experience as a spectator.”
Shimona is no stranger to competitions.
She has already scooped several other top prizes including the Robert Salzer
Vocal Championship Award at the Boroondara Eisteddfod in Australia in 2017.
She graduated with a Master of
Performance with Distinction at the Royal College of Music where she studied
with Amanda Roocroft and became 2018 Opera Scholar of the Year.
She also was the 37th Annual
Australian National Liederfest winner.
She has secured roles in operas in
Britain, Australia and Singapore and she was asked to perform for the Opening
of the Legal Year 2019 Judiciary Dinner at the President’s Palace in Singapore with the President and Chief Justice in
attendance.
Runner up Manon said the second prize
of £1,000 will also help her as she embarks on an opera study course at the
Guildhall from September.
She said: “It will be a big help in
furthering my musical ambitions.”
She congratulated Shimona on her win
saying: “She is such a wonderful talent, with a warm and friendly personality.
It’s been a pleasure to be in the final sing-off with her.”
Performing is in Manon’s blood having been taught to sing by her mother Angela Morris-Parry, an acclaimed music teacher, while her father is actor Erfyl Ogwen Parry.
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