A young Hong Kong soprano has made history by becoming the first Hongkonger to win three opera prizes, following a week of competition in Austria.
Louise Kwong Lai-ling (pictured), a graduate student in classical singing at the Amsterdam Conservatory, won the soprano prize, the audience prize, and the grand second prize at the 18th Ferruccio Tagliavini International Competition for Opera Singers in Graz on Tuesday.
The coveted soprano prize, awarded in memory of the late soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, was presented by Richard Bonynge, a jury member and Sutherland's conductor husband.
Kwong is the first Hongkonger to win at the competition since it was set up in 1995 in memory of Tagliavini, the legendary Italian tenor. And at 24, Kwong is also the youngest among 160 contestants. Besides prize money of Euro6,000 (HK$61,100), Kwong will also get to perform with the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Giuseppe Sabbatini this Saturday, and at a special Winners' Concert in Austria in August.
Chan Siu-kwan, Kwong's voice coach since 2005, said the two arias Kwong sang in the final - Signore ascolta from Puccini's Turandot, and Ecco l'orrido campo from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera - were extremely taxing for their high range, which goes up to high C.
'But Louise has always been self-confident, armed with superb musicality,' Chan said. She was immune to stage fright thanks to her experiences at numerous local school festivals, he said.