• The tribunal selected 54 singers from the 98 applicants as candidates for the semi-final round, to be held in September in the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• Monday 28 June is the deadline for applications in the preliminary round in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, to be held on 17 and 18 September, which has received 12 applications so far
• The Teatro National de São Carlos, in Lisbon, where Alfredo Kraus first performed in 1958 with Maria Callas, held an emotive tribute to the Gran Canarian tenor

The VIII Concurso Internacional de Canto Alfredo Kraus (VIII CICAK), organised by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and the Fundación Internacional Alfredo Kraus, has completed the first phase of the three preliminary rounds, held as planned at Teatro de la Zarzuela (Madrid), Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence) and Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (Lisbon). A total of 54 singers (20 sopranos, 10 mezzo-sopranos, 6 tenors, 11 baritones, 4 bass baritones and 3 basses) out of 98 applicants were considered eligible to enter the semi-final round in September at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The 98 applicants were from 25 countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Iran, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, The Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

The members of the tribunal tasked with choosing the singers were Rosa Kraus Ley (Chair of the FIAK and the CICAK), Mario Pontiggia, (artistic director of the FIAK and the CICAK), Daniel Bianco (Director, Teatro de la Zarzuela), Toni Gradsack (Casting Manager, MMF) and Elisabete Matos (Artistic Director, Teatro de São Carlos).

The singers who passed the first rounds will perform before the Jury chaired by Italian baritone Leo Nucci at the semi-final round in September, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Before the semi-final, the last preliminary round, will be held on 17 and 18 September at Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Twelve applicants are already registered for this round. Applications close on Monday 28 June.

Completing the first stage of the VIII CICAK at the preliminary rounds in Madrid, Florence and Lisbon was a challenge for the organisers, who had to adapt procedures to the COVID health protocols in the three countries.

However, the preliminary rounds were successfully completed thanks to the full cooperation of the collaborating theatres. As well as the auditions, the three entities held presentations of the VIII CICAK, providing significant international support to promote the competition.

In Lisbon, the management of Teatro São Carlos held a tribute to Alfredo Kraus, who first sang at this theatre in 1958, performing in Verdi’s famous Traviata alongside Maria Callas. The emotive event included an exhibition of costumes and theatre programmes, and videos and audios of performances by Alfredo Kraus in Lisbon, where he continued to sing for 40 years until his final concert in 1998.