Launched in 2022 by Africa Lyric’s Opera, under the aegis of Women of Africa, the International Competition of the Great African Opera Voices invited lovers of lyric art to the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet in Paris for its fourth edition on April 24 and 26.
True to the ambition of its founder, Patricia Djomseu, to promote the emergence of African and diaspora lyric talents, this edition offered precious visibility to both amateur and more experienced singers, while building bridges between Western repertoire and African vocal traditions.
Young Talents, Great Voices
This year, no fewer than 70 candidates from 23 countries took part in this unique competition-a record, reflecting the vitality of the African lyric scene and the growing prestige of the Prize.
For the final, fifteen preselected talents competed in three categories. In the “Young Hope” category, intended for emerging talents and students of lyric singing, four young singers were in the running: Adja Thomas-Mbaye, Leila Chafii, Iriss Hayouni, and Malthus-Ronaldo Djatché. In the “Amateur” category, open to non-professional enthusiasts, Johnny Mutombo, Jean Gloire Nzola, Corine Bellegarde, and Anne-Esther Ekoumou Bilé competed. As for the “Semi-professional” category, reserved for singers with partial experience in the lyric milieu, it was the most hotly contested, with seven candidates: Christian Akoa, Camille-Taos Arbouz, Vanhels Djoko, Séléna Hollemaert-Awadé, Mejamandresy Rakotonirina-Andrianjafy, Makeda Monnet-Wouassi, and Siv Iren Misund.
After more than four hours of increasingly virtuosic vocal demonstrations, the delicate task of choosing the winners fell to a prestigious jury chaired by Jean-Philippe Thiellay, President of the National Music Center (CNM, 2020-2025), and composed of expert jurors, including opera directors, singers, musicians, conductors, casting professionals, and teachers.
Although several awards were presented by various event partners, allowing much of the talent on stage to be recognized and supported in their vocation, three competitors nevertheless stood out by winning the coveted First Prizes from the jury.
In the “Semi-professional” category, the Grand Prize went to Franco-Algerian mezzo-soprano Camille Taos-Arbouz. The young woman received the award with great emotion, as the competition represented an opportunity for her to reconnect with her roots.
In the “Amateur” category, the prize was awarded to tenor Johnny Mutombo, originally from the DR Congo, whose voice was matched only by his stage presence. In the “Young Hope” category, the First Prize went to Senegalese-American-Tobagonian soprano Adja Thomas-Mbaye, following an impeccable performance. The three winners will appear in several opera houses across France during a major tour in May-June 2026.
Lastly, let us salute Anne-Esther Ekoumou Bilé, who was awarded the highly coveted Audience Prize. The audience overwhelmingly supported the endearing young Cameroonian woman, who juggles her studies with a job as a sound technician at a local radio station to pay for her training.
A Tribute to Musical Creation
At this gala honoring lyric music, singers were not the only ones in the spotlight-composers and musicians were also celebrated.
Alongside classic opera arias, candidates were invited to perform a work by an African or Afrodescendant composer. Three composers were thus invited to propose an original classical music piece. Haitian-Canadian pianist and composer David Bontemps, nicknamed the “master of genre-blending” for his style fusing Vodou rhythms, jazz, and Western classical music, composed ANONSE for the “Young Hope” category. ASII JAM, performed by candidates in the “Amateur” category, was composed by Cameroonian composer and conductor Jules Teukam, also the author of the opera in Fon and Yoruba Les Amazones du Royaume du Dahomey, commissioned by Africa Lyric’s Opera, an excerpt of which was presented as a preview at the 2024 gala Les Grandes Voix Lyriques d’Afrique at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. As for the semi-professional candidates, South African composer and pianist Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, known notably for rearranging the South African national anthem at the request of Nelson Mandela, composed AMOHELA for them. The audience thus discovered her singular style, blending African rhythms, Western melodies, and Jewish mysticism.
During the jury’s deliberations, the audience was also treated to a recital by Will Bedi, an Afro-American classical composer and pianist, known especially for his work A Cry for Justice.
Finally, let us acknowledge the dedicated accompaniment provided by pianist Thomas Tacquet and by the Loiret Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mehdi Lougraïda and presided over by violinist Emmanuelle Huet.
Buoyed by the enthusiasm of both participants and the audience, the association is already inviting candidates to register for the fifth edition, which will open in September. Roll on next year!
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