NEWS | International Opera Awards 2026: Finalists Announced

The International Opera Awards have announced the finalists for their 2026 edition. Founded in 2012 by philanthropist Harry Hyman, the awards are among the most prestigious honours in the opera world, celebrating outstanding artists, productions, opera companies and initiatives from across the globe.

The 2026 shortlist once again highlights the truly international nature of opera, with nominees representing 24 countriesand spanning a wide range of categories, from singers and conductors to directors, designers, festivals, recordings, new productions and sustainability initiatives.

In the highly anticipated Opera Company category, the finalists are Atlanta Opera, Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, English National Opera, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Opéra de Lyon and Teatro Real in Madrid.

The Female Singer category features Louise Alder, Sara Blanch, Vera-Lotte Boecker, Ambur Braid, Saioa Hernández and Golda Schultz. Among the male singers nominated are Lawrence Brownlee, a previous International Opera Award winner, alongside SeokJong Baek, Clay Hilley, John Osborn, Morris Robinson and Georg Zeppenfeld.

Opera lovers can also have their say through the Readers’ Award – Opera Magazine with Opera News, the only category decided by public vote. This year’s finalists include Aigul Akhmetshina, Allan Clayton, Lise Davidsen, Rosa Feola, Lisette Oropesa, Andreas Schager, Jonathan Tetelman and Michael Volle. Voting is open until 21 October 2026 via the International Opera Awards website.

The shortlist also celebrates some of the most notable productions and artistic projects of the year. The New Productioncategory includes productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Teatro Real, Dead Man Walking at English National Opera, Die Fledermaus at the MusikTheater an der Wien, Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera.

Contemporary opera is represented in the World Premiere category, with works including Medusa at La Monnaie, The Galloping Cure at Scottish Opera and The Monkey King at San Francisco Opera. Meanwhile, the Rediscovered Workcategory highlights productions bringing lesser-known works from the operatic repertoire back to the stage.

The winners will be announced on 21 November 2026 during a gala ceremony at MusikTheater an der Wien in Vienna, which will host the International Opera Awards for the first time. Presented by Petroc Trelawny, the evening will feature performances by soprano Anastasia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano Carol Garcia and tenor Dave Monaco, accompanied by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Corrado Rovaris, and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir.

The ceremony will also be streamed live and free worldwide on OperaVision, allowing opera audiences around the world to follow the celebrations.

Adding a particularly meaningful touch to this year’s awards, the trophies themselves will be crafted in the MusikTheater an der Wien’s workshop using wood from the theatre’s original stage floor. The stage has welcomed generations of celebrated opera artists, making each trophy a unique piece of Viennese theatre history.

The 2026 International Opera Awards will therefore bring together some of the most exciting names and institutions in opera for an evening celebrating the diversity, creativity and international reach of the art form.