An aria, then a romanza
Emma Marhefka sang Ah, non credea mirarti from Bellini’s La sonnambula in the Operalia final. For zarzuela she performed Mulata infeliz from Lecuona’s Maria La O. Two works met through the same soprano in Shanghai. She received an opera first prize and the Pepita Embil zarzuela award. That breadth is the programme’s concrete contribution to her public introduction: the winning name comes with a repertoire attached.[1]
Separate opera and zarzuela prizes give one singer room to be recognized through more than one repertoire. Marhefka’s two results show that route being used in the final. What matters here is the breadth of her introduction beyond a single aria. Keeping both works in view describes the music through which she appeared that evening and gives listeners a specific starting point for comparing subsequent programmes.[1]
Different results before the same orchestra
Vladyslav Buialskyi won the men’s first prize with Sia qualunque delle figlie from Rossini’s La Cenerentola. He and Marhefka also received the audience awards. The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra accompanied the final under Nayden Todorov. Voice type, repertoire choice and orchestral performance therefore supply the concrete setting behind the prize names. The soprano and bass-baritone’s results come from different musical assignments rather than a direct comparison of two voices singing the same piece.[1]
Tessa McQueen and Junhyeok Felix Park received second prizes; Roman Chabaranok took third. McQueen also received a Birgit Nilsson award, showing a route to recognition beyond the principal placing. This structure makes a ranking alone a thin description of a young singer’s appearance. For listeners following the results, the useful unit is the placing together with the voice type and the work performed. For Marhefka, that introduction places Bellini’s aria beside Lecuona’s romanza.[1]