Numbers still growing compared to previous editions. Selections are underway. The final evening will be held on February 8, 2026, at the Teatro del Popolo.
There are 115 participants in the Umberto Borsò International Opera Singing Competition, which is now getting into full swing with the first rounds of auditions. Young opera talents from all over the world have signed up: Italy, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Great Britain, Turkey, but above all East Asia with South Korea, China, and Japan. The numbers are still growing for this third edition of the competition, promoted by the Associazione Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò in Castelfiorentino (in 2024 there were over 90 participants, in 2025 there were 110), The preliminary round is scheduled for February 6-7, when the jury will listen to the approximately 60 competitors who have passed the preliminary round. Of these, only a small number (about 12-13) will be admitted to the final round, open to the public, which will take place at the Teatro del Popolo in Castelfiorentino on Sunday, February 8, 2025. During this final round, the admitted finalists will compete for the rich prizes up for grabs, with a total prize pool of around €9,000.
“With 115 young people from all over the world registered and a prestigious jury,” emphasizes Franco Spina, Councilor for Culture, “the third edition of the ‘Umberto Borsò’ International Opera Singing Competition confirms its excellence in the cultural and musical landscape of our region. This result has been made possible by the work of the Amici della Lirica U. Borsò and the Borsò family, in collaboration with the Municipality of Castelfiorentino and prestigious institutions and foundations.
“As an administration,” continues Councilor Spina, “we are proud to promote and support youth leadership, which contributes greatly to defining the cultural identity of our Castelfiorentino Casa di Artisti, under the banner of civic patronage that has historically characterized us. a new step that will enable us to network and place ourselves in a system of alliances and exchanges through music, but above all to continue investing in talent by generating culture.”
“We are trying to strengthen and consolidate the Borsò Prize step by step,” observed artistic director Francesco Marchetti, “which, despite its young age, has already received widespread acclaim in the sector, thus becoming a solid point of reference on a national scale in the panorama of opera singing competitions, all with a view to and a clear and shared desire to do well and, above all, to ensure the utmost fairness of the competition, but also to provide a follow-up artistic project for the young singers who win, which can give them qualified opportunities to test themselves on stage and in front of an audience.”
The prizes are as follows: 1st Prize €3,000, 2nd Prize €2,000, 3rd Prize €1,200; Young Voice Prize for Puccini €1,000 (for under 30s); Audience Award “Città di Castelfiorentino” €700 (awarded by direct vote at the sole discretion of the audience); Awards for roles in Madama Butterfly €800 (scheduled for April 24); Busoni Award: engagement at the Empoli music seasonThe jury, composed partly of members of the organizing association and partly of illustrious names from the opera world, will be chaired by Augusto Lombardini, currently appointed as artistic director of the Teatro G. Verdi in Pisa. This year, we would like to highlight the addition to the jury of world-renowned baritone Massimo Cavalletti, who has been acclaimed for twenty years in all the most prestigious theaters in the world (from the Metropolitan in New York to La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, and the Vienna State Opera, etc.), and the reconfirmation of Lorenzo Ancillotti: Artistic Director of the Ferruccio Busoni Music Study Center in Empoli, Vittoria Borsò: Daughter of tenor Umberto Borsò, Diego Fiorini: President of the Teatro G. Verdi Foundation in Pisa, Manuel Rossi: Scientific Director of the Simonetta Puccini Foundation for Giacomo Puccini, and Stefano Scardovi: opera agent.
Among the prizes to be awarded, we would also like to mention the Audience Award – “Città di Castelfiorentino”, which will be awarded by direct vote of the audience present in the hall.
It is the clear intention of the organizing association that the Award should not be limited to the classic “Contest” that ends with the awarding of prizes to the most deserving competitors, but is conceived more as a path of growth and enhancement for young opera artists, with the award ceremony being the first step. This is followed by a series of opportunities to test themselves in front of an audience and express themselves in artistic productions organized by the association and/or in collaboration with other organizations: operas, concerts, auditions. The last two editions saw the award-winning artists perform in the operas “La Traviata” by G. Verdi and “L’Elisir d’Amore,” in the PUCCINI100 grand gala dedicated to the centenary of Giacomo Puccini, and in the MOZART VS. SALIERI gala at the Teatro del Popolo in Castelfiorentino, and in opera concerts organized at the auditorium of Giacomo Puccini’s villa in Torre del Lago (LU). This edition, in particular, will be connected to the performance of the opera Madama Butterfly, scheduled at the Teatro del Popolo in Castelfiorentino on April 24.
The Award – promoted by the association “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò” – enjoys the patronage of the Metropolitan City of Florence and the Municipality of Castelfiorentino, the Ente Cambiano (and with the contribution of the latter two) and is organized in collaboration with the Association “Orpheus”, the Ferruccio Busoni Music Study Center, and the Simonetta Puccini Foundation for Giacomo Puccini.
