21st Edition

The 21st International Operatic Festival “Marie Kraja”

Tirana | Albania, 17–19 March 2027

The International Operatic Festival “Marie Kraja” returns for its 21st edition, bringing together outstanding young opera singers from around the world.

Your voice deserves to be heard. Your talent deserves an international stage!

We invite young opera singers who have already begun their professional careers, as well as exceptional emerging talents ready to take the next step in their artistic development.

Selected singers will perform on the stage of the National Albanian Opera and Ballet, accompanied by its Symphony Orchestra across all three evenings. They will perform before a distinguished international jury composed of directors and senior artistic representatives of prestigious opera houses and leading international artist management agencies across Europe. The jury members' names will be announced later.

On 17 March, competitors will perform exclusively before the jury. The evenings of 18 and 19 March will be open to the public and broadcast live on an Albanian national television channel.

Applications are open to singers of all nationalities aged 19–34.

To apply, email two video recordings of major operatic arias, or accessible YouTube links to both recordings with audio and video quality sufficient for professional assessment, a curriculum vitae (CV), and two artistic photographs.

Application email is operafestalbania@gmail.com

Application deadline is 10 January 2027

The Festival covers travel and accommodation for singers selected for the semi-final stage.

An entry fee of €150 will apply to selected semi-finalists.

Competition prizes include a €5,000 First Prize “Marie Kraja”, a €4,000 Second Prize, a €3,000 Third Prize, and a €1,000 Song Prize.

This Festival offers a chance to gain international visibility, meet opera professionals, and take an important step forward in a singing career.

Please read the Regulations below before applying.

THE REGULATIONS

Eligibility

The competition is open to opera singers from all countries, aged 19–34. It welcomes young professional singers and exceptional emerging talents with strong vocal and interpretative potential.

Applications and required materials

Send your application to operafestalbania@gmail.com by 10 January 2027. Each application must contain:

Video recordings of two major operatic arias, chosen freely from the applicant’s repertoire with good-quality audio and video, or accessible YouTube links to two recordings, included in the application email. Recordings must be no older than 3 years.

A curriculum vitae (CV).

Two artistic photographs.

Preliminary selection

The Festival’s selection committee will review applications and select semi-finalists to compete in Tirana. The Festival will inform successful applicants by email, including details on participation and rehearsals.

Travel, accommodation and participation fee

The Festival organizers will cover travel and accommodation expenses for all singers selected for the semi-final stage. Each selected semi-finalist must pay an entry fee of €150. Practical arrangements and payment instructions will be communicated directly to selected singers.

Arrival and rehearsals

Selected semi-finalists should plan to arrive in Tirana approximately one week before the Festival to attend rehearsals with the pianist and orchestra, work with the conductor, and complete stage rehearsals as required. Organizers will confirm individual schedules and arrangements.

Competition format

17 March 2027, first semi-final evening: Each competitor performs one aria exclusively before the international jury, without a public audience.

18 March 2027, second semi-final evening: Competitors perform their second aria before the jury and the public, with live national television coverage.

19 March 2027, Final: The eight highest-ranked semi-finalists compete with one aria selected from the two already performed. The finalists will be announced on the morning of the final. The evening is open to the public and broadcast live on national television.

The prize winners will be announced at the end of the Final. All three competition evenings will take place on the Albanian National Opera and Ballet stage with its Symphony Orchestra.

Song competition

In addition to the operatic aria competition, the Festival will include a competition for classical songs. Details of this category and its repertoire requirements will be communicated to selected semi-finalists.

Prizes

First Prize “Marie Kraja”, €5,000

Second Prize, €4,000

Third Prize, €3,000

Song Prize, €1,000

International jury and voting

The international jury will comprise directors and senior artistic representatives of prestigious opera houses and leading international artist management agencies. The jury members' names will be announced later.

Jury voting is secret, and jury decisions are final. Jury members assess each competitor individually using a 1–10 point scale. The jury meets after each competition stage to prepare the rankings used to select finalists and prize winners, and signs the final evaluation sheet.

Information

For questions about the competition, contact operafestalbania@gmail.com. Further information about the Festival, its previous editions, participants, juries, prize winners, etc., is available on the Festival website operafestalbania.al, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

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Why should I apply?

You should apply to be selected to participate in the International Festival of Operatic Singers “Marie Kraja”:

• Because this is an internationally reputable event
• It is a member of “Opera Europa”
• You can be a winner of the 1st Prize and receive a reward of 5.000 Euro (4,000 Euro for the 2nd Prize, or 3.000 Euro for the 3rd Prize)
• All your participation costs are covered by the organizers: travel, accommodation and meals, airport pick-up and drop-off, etc.
• You will sing in the main concert hall of the newly renovated Albanian National Opera House with the public
• You will be accompanied by the National Albanian Opera and Ballet symphony orchestra conducted by the well-known English conductor Martin Andre
• You will be live on a national television production broadcast in real time for 2 nights
• You will be singing in front of an extremely important international jury, including the directors of Opera Houses, “Opera Europa”, “Opera for Peace”, the presidents of famous artists’ management agencies worldwide, etc., who will be there to identify the singers they need for their future operatic productions
• You will be part of a video recording of the Festival, singing with a national symphony orchestra

Participating in this international Festival can give you such a high.

Do not hesitate, but apply NOW!