1st Prize
O. Burak Bilgili
Turkey, bass, born 1974
What the program for "Neue Stimmen" 2001 had to say about him:
After graduating from the University of Mimar Sinan, Burak Bilgili went first to Parma's Academia Lirica Internationale and then to the USA, where he is studying under Carlos Serrano at the Academy of Vocal Arts. While still a student, he won both the Siemens Opera Competition in his native Turkey and the Giagiari Bel Canto Competition in den USA. Since his debut at the Istanbul Opera, he has made several appearances at the Academy of Vocal Arts, including in the role of Don Giovanni.
What is said about him today:
2001 also saw Burak Bilgili winning two U.S. singing competitions - the Mario Lanza Opera Competition and J. Parkinson Italian Opera Competition. In the summer of 2002, he came second in the Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Competition and won first prize in the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. At the end of that same year, he will be taking the part of Sparafucile in a production of "Rigoletto" at the Baltimore Opera and that of Ferrando in Verdi's "Il Trovatore" at the Michigan Opera in Detroit. His engagements for 2003 include the part of the Commandant in "Don Giovanni", again in Detroit, and that of Raimondo Bidebent in "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome.
