Norway and Romania triumph at Placido Domingo opera contest

LONDON, United Kingdom - A Norwegian soprano and a Romanian tenor were declared the winners on Sunday at singing competition Operalia, established to foster young talent by opera star Placido Domingo.

Soprano Lise Davidsen, 28, from Norway came first in the female category while Romanian tenor Ioan Hotea, 25, was announced as the male winner of the contest, held in London for the first time.

Hotea, previously an ensemble member of the Bucharest National Opera, recently performed as Tebaldo in "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" at the Opera national de Paris and will soon be appearing as Ferrando in "Cosi fan tutte" in Germany's Wiesbaden.

Davidsen recently graduated from the Royal Danish Opera Academy in Copenhagen and is due to make her debut at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as Ortlinde in "Die Walkure". — Agence France-Presse