Edward Nelson wins the Glyndebourne Opera Cup 2020
American baritone Edward Nelson has been awarded first prize at the hotly contested Glyndebourne Opera Cup 2020
Edward Nelson, 31, grew up in a non-musical family, with the exception of his uncle who used to take him to concerts. Growing up he took part in a variety of performing arts including jazz, classical piano and musical theatre before dedicating himself to opera. He recently made an acclaimed European debut at Norwegian National Opera as Pelléas in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande after learning the role in just four weeks.
At tonight’s Glyndebourne Opera Cup final, Nelson performed two dramatic arias from Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet before sealing his win with a spectacular performance of the show-stopping ‘Largo al factotum’ aria from The Barber of Seville.
He was presented with his prize by Dame Janet Baker, the competition’s honorary president, who sat on the prestigious jury alongside fellow opera legends Sumi Jo, Sir Thomas Allen and Dame Felicity Lott and top industry professionals. The competition was produced for Sky Arts by Factory Films and was presented by Chris Addison and Danielle de Niese.
The prize winners
First prize £15,000 and the offer of a role in an opera
Edward Nelson, baritone (31, USA)
Second prize £10,000
Alexandra Lowe, soprano (28, UK)
Third prize £7,500
Eric Ferring, tenor (27, USA)
The audience prize £5,000
Meigui Zhang, soprano (26, China)
The Ginette Theano Prize for Most Promising Talent £5,000
Siphokazi Molteno, mezzo-soprano (27, South Africa)
The Glyndebourne Youth Jury prize £1,000
Sungho Kim, tenor (29, South Korea)
