PromFest
Promfest, or the Pärnu International Opera Music Festival, is a festival dedicated to opera that takes place biannually in the resort town of Pärnu in Estonia.
The program of the festival concentrates mostly on young singers, the audience attend four different sections: the Klaudia Taev Competition for opera singers, opera production, master classes and concerts.
The festival is organized by the PromFest NGO in cooperation with the Endla Theatre in Pärnu. The artistic director of the festival is the conductor Erki Pehk.
Competition
The competition for young opera singers is the main event of the festival. It has been named after local singing teacher Klaudia Taev. The first competition was held in 1996, it takes place biannually.
It is the only competition for opera singers in Estonia and one of the leading competitions in the region. Barbara Hendricks, Yevgeny Nesterenko, Teresa Żylis-Gara, and Irina Arkhipova, among others, have been jury members of the Klaudia Taev Competition.
Operas
During the festival, an original opera production is staged at the Endla theatre. In 2003 Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi; in 2005 The Demon by Anton Rubinstein; in 2007 Carmen by Georges Bizet; in 2009 Thaïs by Jules Massenet; in 2011 Attila by Giuseppe Verdi.
The opera productions have the winners of previous competitions in the leading roles.
Master classes
Master classes are organized mostly for Estonian singers, but there are some places reserved for foreign participants. The master class is usually held by one of the members of the competition's jury.
Concerts
In between festival years (2006, 2008 etc.), a gala concert is organized with the winners of the competition. In festival years (2007, 2009 etc.), members of the jury have given recital concerts. A traditional Klaudia Taev memorial concert is also held once every two years, students and former students perform.
References
External links
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