Armenian soprano Juliana Grigoryan wins Hildegard Behrens Prize

The Hildegard Behrens Foundation has announced that the 14th annual Hildegard Behrens Prize was awarded to Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program soprano Juliana Grigoryan, OperaWire reports.

Grigoryan is in her first year of the program and received the prize at a ceremony in the Metropolitan Opera Grand Tier on February 9, 2024, in celebration of the 87th anniversary of Behrens’ birthday.

“I was truly surprised when Mr. Gaston Ormazabal told me I had received this incredible prize. It is very important to feel this support in the first steps of your career,” OperaWire quotes Juliana as saying.

It is also reported that Juliana Grigoryan will replace Aleksandra Kurzak in the role of Liù in a production of “Turandot”.

Juliana Grigoryan is a member of the Young Artist Opera Program of Yerevan State Conservatory. She has performed with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, and the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia. She also gave concerts in many regions of Armenia and Artsakh.

Juliana Grigoryan has collaborated with composers such as Tigran Mansuryan, Robert Amirkhanyan, and Vache Sharafyan. She has won various awards, including the first prize at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia 2022 World Opera Competition.