Tyrone tenor Owen Lucas crowned winner of 12th Glenarm Festival of Voice

The annual vocal competition is a highlight of the Festival and on Sunday evening, five opera singers chosen from applicants from across the island of Ireland competed for the Deborah Voigt Opera Prize and to become the NI Opera Young Opera Voice of 2022.

These singers spent three days working with top opera coaches, Kathryn Harries, Dr Ingrid Surgenor and pianist Simon Lepper, preparing arias, Irish songs and ensemble pieces for the Competition Finale which were then performed in front of a live audience and judging panel in a concert hosted by NI Opera’s patron, broadcaster Sean Rafferty.

The winner of the Deborah Voigt Opera Prize and the NI Opera Young Opera Voice of 2022 is County Tyrone tenor Owen Lucas, who was also voted the winner of the Audience Prize,

sponsored by The Londonderry Arms, Carnlough.

The winner of the Song Prize, sponsored by The Priests Charitable Trust, is County Louth Soprano Hannah O’Brien.

NI Opera is grateful for the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Esmé MitchellTrust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Glenarm Castle, The Priests Charitable Trust and The Londonderry Arms.

Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle, Vice Chair of NI Opera and member of the judging panel, described the music making in Glenarm as ‘superlative’. “Five of this island’s most promising young opera voices have had the opportunity to work with several of the top coaches in the opera world, and hear BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists in recital,” she said.