An international singing competition to discover new opera talents and dedicated to the memory of the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti was officially unveiled here on Tuesday.
The project was presented by Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, Modena Mayor Giorgio Pighi and conductor Aldo Sisilli.
''With this initiative we are honoring a commitment we made to Pavarotti and his family,'' Rutelli said.
Rutelli came up with the idea of creating an opera singing contest for young talent and naming it after Pavarotti.
The great tenor died from pancreatic cancer in September 2007, at the age of 71,
Pavarotti dedicated his final years to discovering and training young talents and Rutelli said that ''his dream did not die with him because we will discover the new Pavarotti''.
The contest will involve the city of Modena, Pavarotti's home town, Modena's Municipal Theatre Foundation and Milan's La Scala, the theatre where 'Big Luciano' performed 140 times in 28 years.
Applications for the contest will be made available by the end of the month and it will be open to people between the ages of 18 and 30 the world over.
A pre-selection of participants will be made based on video and audio recordings they present as well as their curriculum vitae.
At the end of September, those chosen will take part in three days of auditions at the Modena Municipal Theatre.
This will be followed by a two-day semi-final, a day of rehearsals and a final in a public performance with a full orchestra on October 5.
The jury will be composed of renowned performers and experts who will be chosen together with La Scala.
Prizes totalling 30,000 euros will be awarded for first, second and third place with an additional prize for best tenor.
La Scala will offer the winners an opportunity to perform in one of its operas the following season.
The total cost of the Pavarotti contest will be some 250,000 euros. The ministry of cultural affairs will pick up two-thirds of the tab and the city of Modena the remaining third.
