Contemporary Arias

Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny, Voice 2022

Voice 2025 competitors are required to include an opera aria composed after 1975 in their programme for the First Round. In the past, the CMIM has imposed a specific contemporary Canadian work on all competitors. In 2025, singers have been given carte blanche to choose this work, allowing them to freely express their personal artistry, while exploring the contemporary operatic repertoire.

To support the performers in their repertoire search, the CMIM has created a list of contemporary arias from which the competitors can draw inspiration. In order to highlight our operatic repertoire, this list includes arias drawn exclusively from operas by composers from Quebec and Canada. Competitors remain free, however, to choose any opera aria composed after 1975, without restrictions of nationality or language.

The CMIM worked closely with a number of contemporary music organisations in Quebec and Canada, as well as with several composers directly, to provide competitors with not only a list of arias, but direct access to piano-vocal scores and reference recordings. This new and invaluable collaboration has resulted in a list of more than forty opera arias composed between 1990 and today, in both French and English.

This project could not have been possible without the help of many people involved in contemporary music in Quebec and Canada. The CMIM would like to thank the organizations and artists who participated in the project for their time, generous contributions, and enthusiasm.

Organizations

Composers

Prize for the Best performance of a Contemporary Aria

All competitors of Voice 2025 are eligible for the prize for the Best performance of a Contemporary Aria, performed in the First Round. This prize includes a $2,500 cash award.

Those who choose to perform an opera aria from the Quebec or Canadian repertoire will also be in the running for the prize for the Best performance of a Canadian work.