About

In 1998, on the occasion of the centenary of Lotte Lenya (1898-1981), an extraordinary singer/actress and one of the foremost interpreters of the music of her husband, Kurt Weill (1900-1950), the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music established an annual Lotte Lenya Competition.

The competition recognizes talented young singer/actors who are dramatically and musically convincing in contrasting modes of theater music by Kurt Weill and other composers. More than a vocal competition, the Lotte Lenya Competition is a theater singing competition that emphasizes wide-ranging repertoire and the acting of songs within a dramatic context.

Previous Lenya Competition winners have:

• Won the Cardiff Singer of the World competition
• Performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago
• Appeared at the Tanglewood, Spoleto, and Ravinia Festivals
• Played major roles on Broadway, in international tours of Broadway shows, and in major regional theaters.

Guidelines

See Press release on 2009 Competition Winners

Read Peabody Award winner Michael Lasser's profile of the Competition from the Spring 2009 Kurt Weill Newsletter.

View video selections of the prizewinners at the 2009 Finals:
Alen Hodzovic (1st Prize)
Lauren Worsham (2nd Prize)
Zachary James (3rd Prize)