THE THIRD 
ELENA OBRAZTSOVA 
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
OF YOUNG OPERA SINGERS

August 18 - 30, 2003
Saint-Petersburg

The Jury:
Chairwoman              - Elena Obraztsova (Russia)
Members of the Jury - Raffaello de Banfield (Italy)
                                      - Richard Bonynge (Australia)
                                      - Gloria Vilardell (Spain)
                                      - Larissa Gergieva (Russia)
                                      - Tadayoshi Gunji (Japan)
                                      - Makvala Kasrashvili (Russia)
                                      - Ileana Cotrubas (Romania)
                                      - Renate Kupfer (Germany)
                                      - Evgeniya Miroshnichenko (Ukraine)
                                      - Joan Sutherland (Australia)
                                      - Renata Scotto (Italy)
                                      - Gabriella Tucci (Italy)
                                      - Vazha Chachava (Russia)
                                      - Robert Expert (France)

Competition Laureates:

Grand Prize - Vitaliy Bilyy (baritone)

First Prize - Oxana Shilova (soprano) 
                    - Mikhail Kolelishvili (basso)
   
Second Prize - Tatyana Ganina (soprano)
                          - Elena Maximova (mezzo-soprano)
                          - Mikhail Petrenko (basso)

Third Prize - Ilya Kuzmin (baritone)

The Third Prize in the female category was not awarded.

Special Diplomas were awarded to:
            
 “Best performance of a romance by Tchaikovsky” 
                                                              - Mikhail Kolelishvili (bass)
“Best performance of a German Lied” 
                                                              - Elena Maximova (mezzo-soprano)
“Best performance of a romance by Rakhmaninov”
                                                              - Haruko Sekimori (soprano)
“Best performance of a French romance” 
                                                              - Ketevan Kemoklidze (mezzo-soprano) 
                                                              - Chingis Ayusheev (tenor)
 “Best performance of a work by a 20th century composer” 
                                                              - not awarded

“The Best Accompanist of the Competition” - Anna Margulis
                                                                               - Denis Evstyukhin