The organizers of the Jānis Zābers International Vocal Competition are pleased to announce that, in commemoration of the singer’s 90th birthday, we have begun preparations for the third competition, which is planned to be held in Riga, at the VEF Palace of Culture from September 24 to 28, 2025. Students and graduates of music schools, secondary schools, colleges and music universities from various countries aged 10 to 35 can apply. In addition, the competition regulations provide that students who study vocal art in private schools or privately with vocal specialists may also be represented. The Jānis Zābers Competition has been organized since 2019 and, with its unique compulsory repertoire program, the opportunity for young aspirants to participate in three different age groups, and the jury’s approach to evaluation and immediate feedback, is a significant fact in the Latvian cultural space and makes Latvia shine on the international stage. The Jānis Zābers Competition is the only vocal competition in Latvia, which, with a competent jury and high criteria, serves as an excellent career springboard for young singers and promotes their success. It has become an important starting point for many young performers:

• The 2nd place winner of the I competition, Daniils Kuzmins from Latvia, has since competed in the “Talents of Inessa Galante”, Rene Fleming’s master classes and the Placido Domingo Young Vocalists Competition “Operalia”, as well as successfully graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music. He is among the seven talented singers who had the opportunity to develop their vocal skills in the young soloist program of the Mascarade Opera (Florence) and made his debut at the Teatro La Fenice (Venice) last year. Latvian audiences have already seen Daniils at the Latvian National Opera in the role of Masetto in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” and in the role of Belcore in Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “The Drink of Love”.
• Inna Safronova from Russia, the 2nd place winner of the II competition, also successfully competed in the “Talents of Inese Galante” competition and made her debut at the Latvian National Opera in the title role in Leoš Janáček’s opera “Jenūfa” and in the role of Antonia in Jacques Offenbach’s opera “The Tales of Hoffmann”.
• In turn, Etīna Emīlija Saulīte from Latvia, the 3rd place winner of the II competition, successfully competed in the final of the 42nd International Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition for Young Opera Soloists in 2024, as well as in concerts on the Dzintari Concert Hall and the Latvian National Opera stage.

Jānis Zāber’s vocal legacy is so wide and diverse that it allows every singer to put forward the need to emulate him and realize that a truly successful singer is able to demonstrate his vocal skills in a wide variety of musical genres and styles. Therefore, the contestants have been given the task of playing the vocal music that our great compatriot once sang – folk songs in acapella performance, in order to assess the contestants’ auditory quality components, opera and chamber music, pop songs and children’s songs by Arvīds Žilinskis, as well as Neapolitan songs. Therefore, the musical material of the competition is not only sufficiently wide and complex for the participants, but also interestingly versatile for the listeners. “This is a unique competition, because no competition for vocalists in Latvia is based on the principle of succession, from the moment when the basics of vocal art are learned until the age when the vocal studies have already been completed, thus raising and forging a quality generation of young vocalists and supporting the academic foundation of the vocal school the need,” emphasizes Edgars Kramiņš, artistic director of the competition.