Korean singers sweep top prizes at international vocal competitions

Young Korean singers have once again claimed top honors on the world stage.

Bass Park Sung-min, 26, took first place at the 44th Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition, which concluded Sunday at Dzintari Concert Hall in Jurmala, Latvia, according to the Kumho Cultural Foundation.

Fellow Korean contestant bass Kim Seon-jin finished third, while Iranian soprano Forouz Razavi placed second.

Park competed against 122 singers who had advanced through preliminary rounds held worldwide. In the final, he performed King Philip II's demanding aria "Ella giammai m'amò" from Verdi's opera "Don Carlos," drawing an overwhelming response from both the audience and the jury.

"I am overjoyed and deeply grateful to have won this honor at such a prestigious international competition," Park said. "I will stay true to my roots and keep growing as a singer."

Founded in 1982 by Hans Gabor, the creator of Vienna's Kammeroper, the competition draws artistic directors and casting directors from leading opera houses and festivals around the world as judges — making it a gateway through which talented singers can catch the attention of major venues and launch their careers.

Since introducing a global preliminary round system in 1992, the competition now holds qualifying rounds in more than 50 cities. It has launched the careers of numerous Korean singers who have gone on to perform internationally, including tenor Kim Woo-kyung (2001), tenor Kim Beon-jin (2012), baritone Lee Dong-hwan (2013), tenor Kim Sung-ho (2018), baritone Kim Jeong-rae (2024) and baritone Kim Geon (2025).

Park Sung-min has long been regarded as one of the most promising talents in Korea's classical music scene. He entered and graduated at the top of his class from Sunhwa Arts High School, studied at Seoul National University's College of Music and is currently enrolled in its graduate program, training under bass Jeon Seung-hyun. After sweeping major domestic competitions, he made his debut at the Kumho Young Artist Concert in 2025.

On the same day, soprano Park Nu-ri, 28, and baritone Choi Jun-young each claimed first place in their respective categories at the 2026 Cascais Opera International Singing Competition in Lisbon, Portugal.

In the final held at the Grande Auditório of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Park Nu-ri performed arias from Donizetti's "La fille du régiment" and Mozart's "Così fan tutte" to win the women's category.

The competition's grand prize went to tenor Tomislav Jukić of Croatia. Baritone Ljubomir Milanović of Serbia placed second, and soprano Wu Tongyu of China finished third.

"This is my first achievement abroad, which makes it all the more meaningful," Park Nu-ri said. "I will continue to work hard and grow into a deeper, more mature artist."

The Cascais Opera International Singing Competition is open to singers between the ages of 18 and 32. Alongside the contest, it runs an education program that includes masterclasses, performance opportunities and expert feedback. Previous Korean winners include baritone Kang Hae, who took the grand prize in 2024, and baritone Gil Byeong-min, who won the men's first prize that same year.

Park Nu-ri made her debut at the Kumho Young Artist Concert in 2019 and was a member of the Korean National Opera Studio from 2021 to 2022. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees at Seoul National University under Jeon Seung-hyun and is currently pursuing a master's degree in opera and music theater at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She has been cast as Clorinda in "Cinderella" at Austria's Neue Oper Wien.