13-year-old boy wins first prize in international opera music competition

The final night of the Crescendo International Music Festival & Competition 2025 took place in Hanoi on the evening of June 30. Among the powerful voices, the youngest contestant, Duong Duc Hai, a student of class AE 7.1 at Nam Tu Liem Secondary School, won first prize in the professional opera category, group B.

During the ranking night, Duc Hai chose the famous aria Toreador (Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre) from the opera Carmen by composer Georges Bizet. The song, which requires high technique and strong stage presence, is usually performed by mature male singers.

Contestant Duong Duc Hai performed the famous aria from the opera Carmen.

However, the 13-year-old boy surprised both the audience and judges with his delicate musical handling, confident demeanor, and clear, bright, and emotional voice.

Duong Duc Hai is praised for his potential in the field of opera, not only because of his achievements at a young age, but also because of his intense love for this selective music genre. No one in his family is in the arts, but since he was a child, Hai has been especially passionate about classical opera.

Duong Duc Hai won first prize in the professional opera category, group B.

His mother shared: " There are nights at 12 o'clock, I still see my son lying in his room listening to classical operas over and over again, especially Luciano Pavarotti". From that habit, Hai learned to hum along with the divas, learned both expression and acting, and gradually formed the ability to perceive classical music naturally. Although he has only been familiar with singing for a short time, Duc Hai has trained himself and developed an outstanding ability to perceive music.

Besides Duong Duc Hai, contestant Nguyen Le Huyen Dan was also honored with the First Prize, while Bui Bao Ngoc excellently won the First Prize in Group D. In the same group, Ngoc Thanh ( Hue ) received the Second Prize and Thanh Dat (Hanoi) won the Third Prize. In addition, two international contestants – Kaireen Punjabi and Chiara Alina Egger – were also awarded the First Prize in the Festival category.

The 10 best contestants of the Crescendo 2025 competition received scholarships from the Vecchi–Tonelli Conservatory, one of the prestigious music academies under the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Crescendo International Music Festival & Competition 2025 is a professional and international art playground for young talents nationwide.
The competition is divided into two categories: Competition for professional candidates according to international academic criteria and Festival category, open to encourage the development of individual artistic thinking. Candidates compete in many contents such as solo piano, ensemble, string instruments, guitar and vocals.

Le Chi

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/13-year-old-boy-won-first-opera-cuoc-thi-am-nhac-quoc-te-ar952098.html