The 14th Klaudia Taev Competition for Opera Singers takes place from 14 – 19 September 2025 in Pärnu, Estonia.

The competition has a unique grand prize – the chance to “WIN YOUR DREAM” by singing a favourite opera role in a production especially staged for the winner of the competition. That opera will be performed during the next competition in 2027.

The Klaudia Taev Competition was founded in 1996 by musician and writer Toomas Kuter to capture the memory of his teacher, the legendary song teacher of Pärnu, Klaudia Taev. By now, the Competition has grown into a large-scale international event bringing to Pärnu numerous young singers from all over the world.

Klaudia Taev was a legendary singing teacher in a small resort town in Estonia – Pärnu. She had a large number of students she mostly taught for free because she believed that everyone could sing and must have the opportunity to learn how to sing. Naming the international competition by her name is an homage to this dedicated woman, but also a symbolic bow to all of the so-called first teachers who every singer has had and whom nobody can do without.

This year marks the twelfth time that the Klaudia Taev Competition will be held, bringing to Pärnu, as it always does, numerous young singers from all over the world. The jury is made up of world-renowned opera experts: singers, teachers, conductors, representatives of opera theatres, and agencies. Vesselina Kasarova, Barbara Hendricks, Edda Moser, Dolora Zajick, Yevgenii Nesterenko, Karan Armstrong-Friedrich, Teresa Zylis-Gara, Ileana Cotrubas, Sergei Leiferkus, Luana DeVol, Virgilijus Noreika, Cynthia Makris, Alexandr Vedernikov, Irina Arkhipova are those well-known singers who have been involved in the Competition.

The presence of artistic directors and casting managers on the Jury, as well as many agencies who are invited to follow the competition, will give unique opportunities for young singers to get engagements with many European opera companies and/or opera studios.

There are masterclasses for participating singers to improve their skills by studying with renowned singers, but also different kinds of lectures where singers can get hints about how to become successful singers.

The Artistic Director of The Klaudia Taev Competition is conductor Erki Pehk.