International Lyric Competition Lonato del Garda all'Opera Filippo e Paolo Chimeri

A Competition That Opens the Stage Doors

Winning a lyric competition and finding yourself singing in a real opera: this is the promise of the International Lyric Competition "Lonato del Garda all'Opera", named after Filippo and Paolo Chimeri and organized by the Associazione Musicale La Bottega della Lirica. The second edition takes place from February 11th to 14th, 2026 at the Teatro Italia in Lonato del Garda, in the province of Brescia.

The Challenge of Young Voices

The competition is open to young opera singers up to 45 years of age, from all over the world. For four days, voices alternate before the jury, in a series of auditions leading to the final. The Teatro Italia, located at Via Antiche Mura, hosts the various stages of the competition, transforming the town on Lake Garda into a small capital of opera singing for a few days.

The Most Coveted Prize: Singing Opera

What makes this competition special is the main prize: the winners are awarded a role in an opera production staged in Lonato the following summer. For the 2026 edition, the chosen opera is Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto: tenor Paolo Delai, for example, won the role of the Duke of Mantua. A concrete and valuable opportunity for young artists, allowing them to debut in a major repertoire title.

Opera in the Heart of Garda

Although it is a young event, the competition is part of Italy's rich operatic tradition and enriches the cultural offerings of the Brescia side of Lake Garda. For Lonato del Garda, the initiative represents a way to associate its name with the world of opera and to offer the public, in the summer, an opera performance interpreted by the talents who emerged from the competition.