START OF THE THIRD EDITION OF THE COMPETITION FOR YOUNG TENORS
The Third International Competition for Young Opera Singers – Tenors “The Voice of Kamen” will take place in Ruse, Bulgaria, from August 20 to 27, 2026.
The competition is organized by State Opera Ruse and the Kamen Chanev Foundation, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria and with the support and partnership of Municipality of Ruse. The event is part of Bulgaria’s National Cultural Calendar for 2026.
Created in memory of the world-renowned Bulgarian tenor Kamen Chanev, the competition aims to preserve and continue his ideals of complete dedication, professionalism, and honesty towards art, while providing a stage for young tenors from around the world.
The competition is open to Bulgarian and international tenors between the ages of 22 and 40. The programme includes several rounds before an international jury, with all repertoire performed in the original language and accompanied by piano.
The jury will be chaired by the internationally acclaimed Argentine tenor, conductor, and composer José Cura. The jury members also include Tanya Ivanova, Plamen Kartaloff, Søren Schumacher, Daniel Jinga, Dragoljub Bajić, Kaludi Kaludov, Oliver Arsovski, and Plamen Beykov.
The first two rounds will take place on the stage of State Opera Ruse and will be closed to the public. On August 23, participants will enjoy a special accompanying cultural programme, while in the evening the audience will have the opportunity to attend a performance of Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, featuring José Cura, Tanya Ivanova, and Ventseslav Anastasov.
A special highlight of the programme is the third round – “The Artist and the City”, which will take place on August 25 on the open-air stage at Opera Square. In this round, all participants, regardless of their ranking, will be free to present their artistic individuality through a work of their choice – an opera aria, a musical or operetta piece, a folk song, or a popular song. The audience will determine the winner of the special “The Artist and the City” Award, and admission will be free.
The Winners’ Gala Concert will take place on August 27 at 7:00 PM in the Grand Hall of the Dohodno Zdanie, featuring the orchestra of State Opera Ruse under the baton of José Cura.
The organizers have provided first, second, and third prizes of €4,000, €3,000, and €2,000 respectively, as well as a number of special awards and invitations for participation in international opera productions.