The Gran Teatre del Liceu will host the Òpera XXI Awards ceremony. Among the awards are 'Benjamin a Portbou', by Antoni Ros-Marbà, and the production of 'Lady Macbeth de Mtsensk'. The soprano Nadine Sierra is awarded for her artistic contribution. The Liceu thus consolidates itself as a hub for contemporary and international opera.
The jury of the national awards in the lyrical sector, gathered this morning at the Teatro Real de Madrid, has selected the fourteen winners in the different categories of the Òpera XXI Awards in its eighth edition.
The new co-production of El conte del tsar Saltan by the Teatro Real and the opera Benjamin a Portbou, by Antoni Ros-Marbà, which was presented at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, have been recognized with the awards for Best New Production and Best Contemporary Lyrical Creation.
The Award for Best Singer went to the bass Manuel Fuentes for his performance in the double bill of L’heure espagnole and Gianni Schicchi at the Palau de les Arts de València.
In the categories aimed at honoring the technical and creative value of professionals on Spanish stages, the Òpera XXI Awards recognize the work of scenographer Alfons Flores, lighting designer Felipe Ramos, costume designer Ana Garay, and video creator Pedro Chamizo.
The Award for Best Initiative in Promoting Opera goes to the Compañía Infantil Resident de l’Òpera d’Oviedo, La Federica, a musical and stage project made up of children approximately between 6 and 15 years old.
The awards ceremony will take place on May 15, 2026, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
The jury of the eighth edition of the Òpera XXI Awards, the national awards for opera, composed of prestigious critics and music journalists working both inside and outside Spain, met this morning at the Teatro Real de Madrid to select the best of the Spanish stages of the 2024–2025 season.
The jury evaluated fourteen categories covering the period from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025, encompassing all areas of lyrical creation and management: from vocal and musical performance to stage innovation, contemporary production, and cultural outreach.
The artists, creators, and projects awarded in the eighth edition of the Òpera XXI Awards, who will receive their honors during a lyrical gala on May 15, 2026, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, are:
Award for Musical Direction. Gustavo Gimeno, for his work leading the opera Eugeni Oneguin, by Tchaikovsky, at the Teatro Real de Madrid, in January 2025.
Award for Stage Direction. Àlex Ollé, for his work leading Lady Macbeth de Mtsensk, by Dmitri Shostakovich, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, in September 2024, and for his work leading Il trovatore, by Verdi, at the Palau de les Arts de València, in December 2024.
Award for Best Singer (male category). Tenor Jorge de León, for his performance as Radamés in Aida, by Verdi, during the seasons in Málaga (Teatro Cervantes), in March 2025, and at the Ópera d’Oviedo, in December 2024; for the role of Calaf in Turandot, by Puccini, at the Teatro de la Maestranza, in November 2024; and for the title role in the opera Otello, by Verdi, performed at ABAO Bilbao Opera, in May 2025.
Award for Best Singer (female category). Soprano Sabina Puértolas, for her performance as Anna Bolena, by Donizetti, at the Ópera d’Oviedo, in September 2024; for Marina, by Emilio Arrieta, at the Teatro de la Zarzuela de Madrid, in October 2024; and for her portrayal of Violetta in La traviata, by Verdi, at the Teatro Real de Madrid, on July 20, 2025.
Award for Best Young Singer. Bass Manuel Fuentes, for his participation in the double bill of L’heure espagnole, by Maurice Ravel, and Gianni Schicchi, by Puccini, at the Palau de les Arts de València, in April and May 2025.
Award for Best Foreign Artist, for their special contribution to opera in Spain during the 2024/2025 season. Soprano Nadine Sierra, for her performance as Violetta in La traviata at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (February 2025) and at the Teatro Real de Madrid (June–July 2025); and for her role as Amina in La sonnambula, by Bellini, presented at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in April and May 2025, and also at the Liceu, giving voice to Maria in the symphonic version of West Side Story, by Bernstein, in July 2025.
Award for Best Stage Design. Alfons Flores, for his work on Lady Macbeth de Mtsensk, by Dmitri Shostakovich, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, in September 2024; Don Pasquale, by Donizetti, at ABAO Bilbao Opera, in October 2024; and Il trovatore, by Verdi, at the Palau de les Arts de València, in December 2024.
Award for Best Lighting Design. Felipe Ramos, for La vida breve, by Falla, and Tejas Verdes, by Jesús Torres, at the Teatro Real de Madrid, in February 2025; and for his work on Ifigènia a Tàurida, by Gluck, at the Teatro de la Maestranza, in February 2025.
Award for Best Costume Design. Ana Garay, for her work as costume designer in the production of Il trittico, by Puccini, at ABAO Bilbao Opera, in November 2024.
Award for Best Videocreation Proposal. Pedro Chamizo, for his work on Marina, by Arrieta, at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, in October 2024, and on Il trittico, by Puccini, at ABAO Bilbao Opera, in November–December 2024.
Award for Best Contemporary Lyrical Creation Proposal. The opera Benjamin a Portbou, by Antoni Ros-Marbà, presented at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, in July 2025.
Award for Best Initiative or Project in Promoting Opera. Compañía Infantil Resident de l’Òpera d’Oviedo, La Federica. The resident children’s company of l’Òpera d’Oviedo, La Federica, is a musical and stage project composed of children approximately between 6 and 15 years old, directed by Maite García Heres, combining rigorous artistic training with the staging of adaptations of classical operas performed by young artists and training in various theatrical professions. It has presented versions for all audiences of Gianni Schicchi, The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, and Carmen, with performances both at the Teatro Campoamor de Oviedo and as part of the traveling program Òpera al Territori, reaching different towns in Asturias and Cantabria.
Award for Best New Production. El conte del tsar Saltan, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, at the Teatro Real de Madrid, in April and May 2025, with stage direction and set design by Dmitri Tcherniakov.
Spanish Lyrical Heritage Award for the best initiative, performer, direction, or production of Spanish lyrical repertoire. El gitano por amor, by Manuel García, revived by the Ópera Estudi de Málaga (ÓEM), which opened in September 2024 the Lyrical Season at the Teatro Cervantes de Málaga.
Jury Members
The jury was composed of Gonzalo Alonso, Maricel Chavarría Espuny, José Luis Jiménez, Alejandro Martínez Rodríguez, Pablo Meléndez-Haddad, Javier Pérez Senz, Pablo L. Rodríguez, Justo Romero, Victoria Stapells, Fernando Sans Rivière, and Ana Vega Toscano, all prestigious critics and music journalists working both inside and outside Spain. Also present during the deliberations were the president of Òpera XXI, Isamay Benavente; the awards coordinator, Esperanza Soroa; and, acting as secretary, Santi Pons-Quintana, from Amics de s’Òpera de Maó.
Honorary Awards
On the way to the gala of the eighth edition of these awards, only the three honorary awards remain to be announced, which will be presented in March by the Assembly of members of the Òpera XXI Association: the award for Professional Career, the honorary award for Cultural Institution, and the recognition for Best Patronage Initiative. In addition, the Award for Best New Latin American Production will be announced in collaboration with Òpera Llatinoamèrica OLA.
The Òpera XXI Awards are supported by the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music of the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Government of Spain (INAEM).
The awards represent an initiative of the Òpera XXI Association, currently composed of 27 theaters, seasons, and festivals, to recognize the intense operatic activity in Spain and the artistic and creative talent that can be enjoyed on Spanish stages season after season.