Young music elite gather in Helsinki
The International Mirjam Helin Song Contest for young but already established singers will be held for the ninth time in Helsinki from 3 to 12 June.
One of the world’s most important singing competitions, the event is renowned for its high standards, demanding repertoire and great prizes. The Finnish Cultural Foundation has organised the Mirjam Helin International Song Contest every five years since 1984. The competition will be held every three years in the future.
This year, 485 singers from 61 different countries entered the competition. Of these, 47 singers qualified for the first competition in Helsinki. Among them are Croatian contratenor Marko Antolkovic, French mezzo-soprano Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Australian opera baritone Oliver Boyd and South Korean soprano Hyunju Ha.
The 2024 jury includes soprano Soile Isokoski (chair), who has an extensive international career, Luca Pisaroni, Keval Shah, Bo Skovhus, Randi Stene and Dawn Upshaw.
The competition consists of three parts: the first competition will take place from 3 to 6 June, the intermediate competition from 7 to 8 June, and the final competition on 12 June. The first and intermediate competitions will be held in the Sibelius Academy’s R Hall concert hall, and the orchestral finals in the Music Hall. The competition can also be watched live on Yle Areena.
The winner of the competition will receive €50 000, the runner-up €40 000 and the third place winner €30 000. The runners-up in places 4-6 will receive €10,000 and the semi-finalists €1,500.
In addition to the competition performances, the public will be treated to a supporting programme, including an open-air concert by the competitors on the Espa stage on 10 June, an opera karaoke on the terrace of the Musiikkitalo on 11 June and a discussion on Culture as a force for change at the Musiikkitalo on 12 June.
The Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition was founded by singing teacher and opera singer Mirjam Helin when she made a major donation to the Finnish Cultural Foundation on her 70th birthday in 1981. The Mirjam and Hans Helin Fund was born, and the International Mirjam Helin Song Contest is organised from this fund.
