Opera Naples announced the full roster of contestants and jury members for the 2026 Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition, an international showcase that continues to draw top emerging vocal talent from around the world.
The competition attracted 430 applicants from 19 countries. From that pool, 20 singers were selected to advance to the live rounds, reflecting the event’s growing stature as a career-launching platform for young opera professionals.
The competition will take place March 13–15, with early rounds taking place at Florida Gulf Coast University and the final round staged outdoors at Baker Park in Naples. Semifinal rounds, which are open to the public, are scheduled for 1 p.m. March 14 at the U. Tobe Recital Hall at FGCU’s Bower School of Music and the Arts. The final round will take place March 15 at 7 p.m. at Baker Park.
The event is a revival of the renowned Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, founded in 1981. At its height, the original competition drew more than 1,500 applicants from over 25 countries and helped launch the international careers of numerous singers.
Tenor Minghao Liu performs during a previous Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition, which returns March 13–15, with rounds in Fort Myers and Naples.
Each winner will receive a minimum of $10,000 in performance contracts with Opera Naples and other opera houses and presenters over the next two seasons. Winners also will perform during the Opera Naples 2027 Festival Under the Stars.
The 2026 contestants represent a broad range of voice types. Sopranos selected include Hannah Cho, Laura Fernandez, Alexandra Hotz, Virginia Mims, Tess Ottinger and Sofia Scattarreggia. Mezzo-sopranos are Ashlyn Brown, Kara Morgen, Grace Ryan and Julianna Smith. Tenors competing are Alexander Adkins, Victor Cardamone, SeongBeom Choi, Luke Norvell and Yulin Wang. Baritones include Alexander Granito, Byung Jun Ko and Yantian Sun, while basses Peter Barber and Yoseph Park round out the field.
The jury is presided over by Nicoletta Pavarotti, president of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, and Ramón Tebar, Opera Naples’ artistic and music director. Additional jury members include Krzysztof Biernacki of Florida Gulf Coast University, tenor Bruce Ford, John Churchwell of San Francisco Opera, Jeanie Darnell of FGCU, Marco Vinco of the Macerata Opera Festival, Warren Mok of Opera Hong Kong and bass George Andguladze of the Georgian State Opera.
Together, organizers say, the competition offers singers rare access to decision-makers capable of shaping international opera careers.
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