About Competition
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- About Competition
Purpose
Feature
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.
History
The 1st International Opera Competition in SHIZUOKA was inaugurated in 1996, and the following competitions took place triennially. In 2003,owing to the success of the previous competitions, the competition became the first in Asia to be accepted as a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions(WFIMC)in the category of Opera. In this occasion, the competition was renamed “the Shizuoka International Opera Competition”.
In 2016, the English name of the competition changed to “the Mt. Fuji International Opera Competition of Shizuoka” to emphasize that the competition takes place near the mountain which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2013.
The latest, 8th competition took place in 2017. Now, prizewinners of the past competitions have gone on to successful careers all around the world. The 9th competition was originally scheduled in 2020, however, it was postponed to 2023 due to the global pandemic of COVID-19.
World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC)
WFIMC was founded in 1957 to coordinate with activities of member competitions and support prizewinners. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland. WFIMC has a high level of membership standards and many of the most prestigious international competitions are members. The Mt. Fuji International Opera Competition of Shizuoka has been a member of the WFIMC since 2003.
World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC)
MIURA Tamaki
About Shizuoka
It features a relatively mild climate throughout the year, four distinct seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter), dry and sunny winter, and no snow on the plains.
Located at the heart of Japan, an area that flourished by accepting civilizations in eastern and western Japan, the prefecture holds rich and diverse cultural resources as a region where the cultures of eastern and western Japan intersect. At the base of Mt. Fuji as a symbol of Japanese culture and a world heritage, rich and unique cultures have been created.
Shizuoka is also known for their diverse agricultural and marine products such as green tea, oranges, strawberries, melons, bonito, and tuna due to their warm climate and location facing mountains and ocean. Manufacturing is also prevalent in the prefecture as one of the nation’s leading industrial areas due to the development of railroads, highways, etc. along the Tokaido highway connecting three major metropolitan areas.
Known as the “city of musical instruments,” Hamamatsu City (where Act City Hamamatsu, the venue where the opera competition will be held, is located) is home to world-renowned musical instrument manufacturers including Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland. The Hamamatsu International Piano Competition is also held there.