Contestants from around the world came together to showcase traditional vocal arts rooted in purity, authenticity, goodness, and beauty.
After three days of competition, one gold, three silvers, two bronzes, and four honorable mentions were presented at the awards ceremony. The Gold Award went to Shi Song Lin, a tenor from Vietnam.
“Holding this Gold Award trophy in my hands, I feel immense pride and honor. It represents the highest glory pursued by all the singers who took part in today’s competition,” Shi Song Lin said. “As I lift the trophy today, my heart is filled with pride and gratitude.”
Bel canto—Italian for “beautiful singing”—is a traditional vocal technique that emphasizes purity of tone, smooth phrasing, and precise control. It forms the foundation of Western opera arias and Chinese art songs, which were both required repertoire in the competition.
Audience members say the level of artistry on display rivaled the world’s top stages.
“When you have such a competition, you want to get the best, but actually, you did get the best,” audience member Tamuz Itai said. “I’m a regular patron of the opera, of the Metropolitan Opera, and I was thinking as I was listening to the contestants that I hope the opera has a scout, because, you know, they could recruit anybody here for their productions.”
“The power of the human voice to convey love and kindness, and goodness and strength and beauty is just amazing. And we need it in our world right now, which is so upside down,” von Strade said.
Vocal Competition Winners List
Gold Award: Shi Song LinSilver Award: Jiyun Bae, Shaofeng Zheng, Kevin Zhang
Bronze Award: Adriana Da, Yuan Ling
Honorable Mention: Junting Liu, Yuchuan Zhang, Xinxin Cui, Jessie Hu
