The first round of the 10th edition of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, dedicated to the voice, will be held on Sunday and Monday.
Three of the four Belgian singers in the running will compete on Sunday, while the fourth will go through on Monday, according to the schedule for the event, which was made public on Friday evening, after a draw. Performances will be at 2pm and 8pm on both days.
Candidates will sing two pieces accompanied by a piano. A total of 64 candidates have been selected for this stage, out of a total of 412 applications. Each will have about ten minutes to convince the jury.
The four Belgians taking part in this session of the competition – dedicated to singing, after the cello last year – include Linsey Coppens and Lotte Verstaen, whose auditions will take place on Sunday at 2pm. Margaux de Valensart will be on on Sunday at 8pm, while Kelly Poukens will audition on Monday at 2pm.
The 24 semi-finalists will be announced late on Monday evening. The semi-finals will then take place on 24 and 25 May in Flagey.
For the final (1-3 June), 12 male and female singers will perform at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, accompanied by the Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie.
