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2025 GRAND FINAL OF THE JSRB BEL CANTO AWARD AND SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL SING PRIZE

Preliminary BCA Final: 29 August at 2pm
Willoughby Uniting Church 10-12 Clanwillian St Willoughby.
Tickets $5 at the door

Grand Final Bel Canto Award and Sydney Int Song Prize
30 August, 2025 at 2pm
Sydney Conservatorium of Music Music Workshop
Tickets:  Box Office

PRIZES MONEY: $77,000
1st $40,000
2nd: $10,000
3rd: $7,000
4th: $5,000
Finalists Prizes: $3,500 x 2
Best Mozart Aria: $5,300
Audience Prize: $1,000
Encouragement Award: $1,000

CRITERIA
Age limit: 32 as of 30 Sept 2025.
Open to all Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents.
Singers must perform a Mozart or Handel aria and have 4 other contrasting opera arias. Oratorio is accepted. 
Entrants must perform arias in at least two foreign languages other than English and one of those must be in Italian. 

Established in 2011, the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award is one of Australia's leading operatic singing competitions. Its aim is to promote the bel canto style of singing and repertoire synonymous with Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge. Since inception, over $1.2million in scholarships has been awarded. 

Previous judges throughout the competition have included Richard Bonynge, Simone Young, Dame Anne Evans, Christa Ludwig, Ruth Falcon, Dame Ann Murray, James Morris, Deborah Polaski, Jane Eaglen, Bernadette Cullen, Simon O'Neill ONZM, Glenn Winslade, Marilyn Richardson, Nance Grant, Brenda Hurley, Lisa Gasteen, Patricia Price, Margaret Russell, Anson Austin, John Pringle, Jennifer McGregor, Michael Lewis, Ghillian Sullivan, Cyrus Meher-Homji OAM, Emma Matthews AM and Fiona Janes.

Click on the Rules & Criteria button above.
 
OPEN TO ALL AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS OF ALL VOICE TYPES AGED 20-32 as of 30 September 2025.

Prizes: All finalists will receive a cash prize. 
Previous first prize winners from 2011-2019, 2022-2024 are unable to enter. Grants recipients are eligible to enter. 

Enquiries: belcantoaward@jsrbfoundation.com

Bel Canto Award on YouTube

Previous Winners