Under the leadership and in the name of one of the greatest divas of 20th  century, Leyla Gencer, the first Leyla Gencer Voice Competition was held in 1995. The competition aimed at introducing young talents all around the world to an international opera scene and giving them a chance to have a constructive and meaningful start at their careers to come.

Marcelo Álvarez, one of today's leading lyrical tenors, has been among those who have seized an instant opportunity to get an international recognition through the competition. The Argentinean artist has won the second prize at the 1st Leyla Gencer Voice Competition that has taken place in 1995, made the transition from being an unknown talent to an artist playing at the prestigious La Fenice Theatre in Venice. Álvarez carried the momentum in his career and went on to perform numerous leading roles at the most prominent opera houses. At Covent Garden, he played Don Jose in Carmen; Cavaradossi in Tosca in Rome, Verona and at the Deutsche Opera; King Gustavo in Un Ballo In Maschera at the Paris Opera; Romeo in Romeo and Juliette at the Munich and Vienna Opera Houses; along with lead parts in Linda di Chamounix, La Traviata, Rigoletto and La Boheme at La Scala. His impressive opera stardom becomes more evident during the season of 2009-2010 during which he will be playing the part of Manrico in Il Trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera, King Gustavo in Un Ballo In Maschera in Madrid and Cavaradossi in Tosca to be staged in Parma.

Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze was the favorite and first prize winner at the 2006 competition, the last one to be attended personally by Leyla Gencer. Today Machaidze's stellar rise receives admiration. In 2008 she played Juliette in Gounod's Romeo and Juliette opposite Rolando Villazon in Salzburg. Following that was the Elvira part in I Puritani, opposite Juan Diego Florez, at the Teatro Communale of Bologna. She carried on with her success as she performed the lead role in L'Elisir d'Amore for the season premiere at the LA Opera in 2009. She will soon be performing in a new production of L'Elisir d'Amore at La Scala. Machaidze's  name has gained a well deserved place among the leading names of the international opera scene.

Anita Rachvelishvili is the latest talent presented by the Leyla Gencer Voice Competititon to the opera world. Right after the third prize she won at the competition, she had a major success as Carmen at La Scala lead by Daniel Barenboim. A recent graduate of La Scala's Music Academy, 25-years-old Rachvelishvili was carried to the lead role by Barenboim himself after she was tried out for a more minor part. At the season opening of La Scala, Rachvelishvili was received with much enthusiasm from the musical authorities and the audience which surely is an indication of a magnificent career that lies ahead of her.

Leyla Gencer Voice Competition awaits its new stars for the opera world to embrace...