June 2026 – Results of the preliminary audition
August 2026 – Pay participation fee and submit scores
14-16 November 2026 – First Round
18-19 November 2026 – Second Round
22 November 2026 – Final Round, Award Ceremony
| Sections | Vocal (Opera) |
| Deadline | 05 Jan - 01 May 2026 |
| Finals | 22 Nov 2026 |
| Where | Hamamatsu City, Japan |
| Age groups | Age 33 or younger (anyone born after November 14, 1992) |
Commencing in 1996, the 50th year after the death of Tamaki Miura, Shizuoka Prefectural Government has held the Mt. Fuji International Opera Competition of Shizuoka once every three years to commemorate the world-famous prima donna, known for her ties to Shizuoka Prefecture. This Competition aims not only to discover more talented artists in the musical world but also to promote the development of musical culture, strengthen international relations through global cultural exchange, and create Shizuoka’s unique culture to show throughout the world.
Mt. Fuji International Opera Competition of Shizuoka has attracted participants from around the world, including past winners of other leading global competitions. All participants are judged by a committee of leading international experts in our competition. Especially in the 2nd round, each contestant will perform one or more pieces specified by the judges from the opera character chosen at the time of his or her application. Performances will be approximately 20 minutes in durations. This is an unusual approach to judging for an international competition. Pieces will be chosen for degree of difficulty and will enable evaluation not only vocal technique and expressiveness, but also performing experience.
The reason we give our competition the name "Opera Competition" is that we have the challenging assignment at the 2nd round, where contestants cannot go to the finals without the ability to perform a role of operas from the beginning to the end.
1st Prize: 3,000,000 yen
2nd Prize: 1,500,000 yen
3rd Prize: 750,000 yen
Finalists Prize: 400,000 yen
Tamaki Miura Special Prize (for Japanese nationals): Scholarships and performance opportunities in Japan
Rie Hamada, Chairperson (Japan)
Sang-Ho Choi (South Korea)
Taro Ichihara (Japan)
Etsuko Kanoh (Japan)
Vesselina Kasarova (Bulgaria)
Eva Mei (Italy)
Masashi Mori (Japan)
Eytan Pessen (Israel)
Carmen Santoro (Italy)
Rainer Trost (Germany)
Chenye Yuan (China)
Each contestant is responsible for his/her travel expenses. However, for the contestants who perform in the 1st Round, financial support for traveling shall be provided, depending on the contestant’s country of residence at the time of notification of the preliminary audition result. This support will not apply to contestants’ own piano accompanists.
1. Contestants residing outside Japan (Japanese and Non-Japanese):
- 50,000 JPY per contestant residing in Asia
- 100,000 JPY per contestant residing outside Asia
2. Contestants residing in Japan:
No support will be provided.
3. Time of Payment:
The financial support for traveling will be given to the contestant after the 1st Round.
The room charge will be covered by the organiser based on the following guidelines, as long as contestants stay at the accommodation facilities assigned by the organiser.
1. For contestants of the 1st round:
Two days prior to the contestants' first performance date through November 17 (Tue), 10:00 AM.
2. For contestants of the 2nd round:
Two days prior to the contestants' first performance date through November 20 (Fri), 10:00 AM.
3. For finalists:
Two days prior to the contestants' first performance date through November 23 (Mon), 10:00 AM.
This aid will not apply to contestants’ own piano accompanists.
