The first prize of 30.000,- Euro was awarded to Amira Elmadfa
Amira Elmadfa, a 30 year old German mezzo-soprano, was born in Lich in Hessen and grew up in Vienna, where she was taught by Hilde Zadek. She studied under Prof. Maria Venuti at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe and graduated in December 2008 with a degree in Vocal Studies. That was followed in May 2010 with a degree in Operatic Vocals from the same Academy. During this time she performed in many productions, for example, in cooperation with the Schwetzingen Festspielen, the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiel and the Badisch Staatstheater in Karlsruhe.
Amira Elmadfa was to be seen in her capacity as Lied and concert singer at the following venues: a recital in 2008 at the Arnold-Schönberg-Center and since the spring of 2009 she is a regular soloist in the Cycle of Bach Cantatas at the Wiener Konzerthaus, under the direction of Luca Pianca and the Emsemble Claudiana. In the spring of 2010 she sang alto in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with the Mandelring-Quartett.
She has attended masterclasses given by Hilde Zadek, Brigitte Fassbaender, Dietrich-Dieskau und Júlia Várady.
Amira Elmadfa won the 3rd prize and special award at the 5th International Hilde Zadek Competition in Vienna, was the winner in the Lied category of the 2008 Bergheim Vocal Prize and in the same year was a prize winner at the German Music Academy Competition in Freiburg.
Since the beginning of the 2009 I 2010 season Amira Elmadfa is a permanent member of the Kiel Theatre.
The second prize of 15.000,- Euro was awarded to baritone Martin Häßler, born in 1989 from Germany.
Martin Häßler is currently studying at the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tuition of Rudolf Piernay.
The third prize was shared between Anna Huntley, an English mezzo-soprano und baritone David Pichlmaier from Germany. Each receives 3.750,- Euro.
Anna Huntley studied at the Royal College of Music in London under the tuition of Russell Smythe, Beatrice Unsworth and Ann Lampard. She attended masterclasses given by Edith Wiens, Siegfried Jerusalem (Vienna masterclass), Patricia MacMahon, Ann Murray, Michael Chance (London Händel Festival), Petra Lang (Mahler Society), Robert Tear, Jan Philip Schulze and Roger Vignoles.
David Pichlmaier, born in Munich, took his first singing lessons with the Hymnuschorknaben and with the Collegium Iuvenum, both in Stuttgart. After completing his vocal studies in Stuttgart with Wayne Long and Carl Davis and in Weimar with Mario Hoff, he was engaged by the opera studio of the Cologne opera. He has been a prize winner of several international vocal competitions, has worked with the following conductors: Helmuth Rilling, Markus Stenz and Nicholas Milton and has sung in the opera houses of Bremen, Weimar, Augsburg and Stuttgart to name a few. Since the beginning of the 2008 I 2009 season he has been a permanent member of the Staatstheater Darmstadt.
The pianist prize of 10.000,- Euro was awarded to James Baillieu, a South African born in 1982.
James Baillieu studied at St. John’s College Johannesburg, the Trinity College of Music London, the University of Cape Town and the Royal Academy of Music in London under the tuition of Malcolm Martineau, Michael Dussek and Kathryn Stott. Amongst others, he has attended masterclasses by Roger Vignoles, Julus Drake, Thomas Quasthoff, Philip Langridge, Jan Philip Schulze, Maxim Vengerov, Ann Murray and Rudolf Jansen.
The prize for most promising future talent of 5.000,- was awarded to the Finnish Lied Duo Aarne Pelkonen, baritone born in 1986 and pianist, Juho Alakärppä born in 1983.
Aarne Pelkonen studied in Helsinki under Pirkko Törnqvist-Paakkanen and is currently Thomas Quasthoff’s student. He has attended masterclasses given by Sirkku Wahlross-Kaitila, Anssi Hirvonen and Hannu Niemelä.
Juho Alakärppa studied in Helsinki under Joonas Pohjonen and Liisa Pohjola and at the moment is in Munich under Donald Sulzen. He has attended masterclasses given by Martin Katz, Ulrich Rademacher and András Schiff.