The great Czech singer, Emmy Destinn (1878–1930), was the inspiration for the launch in London in 1998 of the foundation bearing her name, with the aim of promoting Czech opera and song and providing practical support to young singers. Every two years, a Singing Competition is held in London. The Society awards a prize of £500 for the best rendition of a 21^st-century song by a Czech or Slovak composer.

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2025 Emmy Destinn Young Singers Awards

The final of this year’s Young Singers’ Awards Competition will take place at Velehrad (39 Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 9JP)  on Sunday 23 November 2025 at 5pm.  This concert will take place in February 2026.
More information will be available on Emmy Destinn Foundation website.

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Emmy Destinn Young Singers’ Awards 2023

The Final of the 13^th Emmy Destinn Young Singers’ Awards Competition took place at Velehrad, Barnes, London on 18^th November 2023.  The famous Czech soprano, Emmy Destinn (1878–1930) was the inspiration for the foundation bearing her name. It was launched in London in 1997, to promote Czech opera and song, as well as provide practical support to young singers.

There were seven talented finalists: three sopranos, one mezzo-soprano, one tenor, one baritone and one bass, with their equally talented accompanists.  Apart from one item in English, all the songs were performed in Czech.

The First Prize of £2,000, sponsored by Velehrad, London, was awarded to the tenor, Martins Smaukstelis.  He was born in Latvia, completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London and has already commenced his operatic career in Britain and other countries.  Martins performed a varied programme of works by Janáček (Potkal jsem mladou cikánku from The Diary of One who Disappeared), Kaprálová (Sbohem a šáteček) and Dvořák (Dejte klec jestřábu from Gypsy Songs, finishing with Vidino divná, přesladká as sung by the Prince in Rusalka.) He was accompanied by Panaretos Kyriatzidis, a previous prize-winner, and so not eligible for a prize, well-known to those who had attended Emmy Destinn Competitions and concerts.

The winner of the prize of £500 awarded by The Dvořák Society for Czech and Slovak Music was Arthur Bruce, a baritone from Scotland.  He is a former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist, a Samling Artist, and a Britten-Pears Young Artist, who graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Alexander Gibson Opera School and ENO’s Opera Works programme. He has also commenced an operatic career.  Arthur included some less well-known songs in his programme by Martinů (Koníčky na ouhoře, Ztracený pantoflíček, Píseň nábožná, Pozvání from Four Songs on Czech Folk Poetry)and Pavel Haas (V bambusovém háji from Four Songs on Chinese Poetry).  In addition, he sang Je to pravda from Rusalka and concluded with Jen jediná mě ženy krásná from Smetana’s opera The Devil’s Wall.  Arthur was also accompanied by Panaretos Kyriatzidis.

The Czech Song Prize of £500, sponsored by Dr. Jan Telenský, was awarded to Siȃn Dicker (soprano).  She has previously won the 2020 Royal Over-Seas League Singer’s Prize and was listed in the BBC Music Magazine’s February 2023 ‘Rising Stars’ feature. She has recently taken part in operas and festivals of art songs.  Siȃn’s programme included Kde to jsem from Janáček’s opera Jenůfa, items by Smetana and Dvořák, as well as Navždy by Kaprálová.

The Accompanist’s Prize of £500, sponsored by Lady Grenfell-Baines, was awarded to Bethany Reeves, a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and now a staff accompanist there.  She is also a composer and Director of Music at St Faith’s, North Dulwich and Little St Luke’s, Islington.  Bethany has already won several prizes and graduated from Brasenose College Oxford with first-class honours.

Jarmila Karas, Founder of the Emmy Destinn Foundation, and Yvette Bonner, winner of the first competition in the year 2000, both commented on the very high standard of all competitors this year. A most appreciative audience congratulated them. The winners were each presented with a white rose, Emmy Destinn’s favourite flower, with many of which her chateau had been bombarded by a smart young airman, Josef Halsbach, who became her husband.

Many thanks are due to Jarmila Karas for her excellent organisation of the whole competition, including a workshop in the summer.  It was a pity that Karel Janovický, who had contributed so much during the competition, was unable to attend.  Finally, we are grateful to Ludmila Staně for her efficient management and warm welcome to Velehrad.  We look forward to future events and competitions there.

Susan Jenkinson
(Newsletter #145, page 8)

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Emmy Destinn Young Singers’ Awards 2021

There were six talented finalists, four sopranos, one mezzo soprano and one tenor, with their equally talented accompanists. Apart from one item in English and one in German, everyone sang in Czech.

The First Prize of £2,000, sponsored by Velehrad, was awarded to Caroline Taylor, soprano, who had graduated with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music and has already commenced an operatic career. Caroline began her recital dramatically with Kradla jsem sung by the Vixen in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. She continued expressively with songs by Dvořák: V tak mnohém srdci mrtvo jest and Má píseň zas mi láskou zní. Caroline and her accompanist, Hamish Brown, gave a very descriptive performance of little horses galloping in Janáček’s setting from Moravian folk poetry Koníčky milého. Their recital concluded in German with Hanna’s Vilja Lied from Lehár’s The Merry Widow.

The winner of the Dvořák Society for Czech and Slovak Music Prize (£500) was Sam Utley, tenor, originally from Oregon, USA, who had studied at Brigham Young University, USA, and
more recently at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is currently a young artist with Rose Opera in south-west London. Sam began his recital with two operatic pieces by Janáček: Nikoho tu není, sung by Kudrjáš in Kát’a Kabanová, and Vy, stařenko sung by Laca in Jenůfa. He continued with well-known Biblical Songs by Dvořák, including Hospodin jest
můj pastýř (The Lord is my Shepherd) and concluded his recital with Já nešt’astník and Kdybych věděl sung by Lukáš in Smetana’s Hubička (The Kiss). Sam’s recital was most
expressive and well presented.
Max Bilbe, Sam Utley’s accompanist, won the Accompanist’s Prize (£300) which is sponsored by Lady Grenfell-Baines. In presenting the prize, Karel Janovický commented that Max had researched the content of the songs particularly well, looking carefully at the words and cooperating skilfully with the singer to express their meaning in his accompaniment.

The Czech Song Prize (£500), sponsored by Robert Hendra, was awarded to Nikola Uramová from the Czech Republic, who has studied there as well as in Denmark, Italy and Germany. She has already launched her operatic career and for this competition the dramatic highlights of her recital were from Janáček’s opera Jenůfa, namely Kde to jsem? and Zdrávas královno (Salve
Regina).

It was a most enjoyable evening and many people attended despite difficult travel conditions and inclement weather. The adjudicators were Jarmila Karas (Founder of the Emmy Destinn
Foundation), Ludmila Stáně (Manager of Velehrad), Karel Janovický (Committee Member of the Dvořák Society) and Yvette Bonner (winner of the first competition in the year 2000). The standard was very high and so it took the panel a long time to reach their verdicts!

The winners were each presented with a white rose, Emmy Destinn’s favourite flower, many of which she had received from a dashing young airman, Josef Halsbach, who was for several years her husband. Those who did not win prizes were given little presents made by Madelon Vriesendorp, adding a pleasing human touch to the evening. We are most grateful to Jarmila Karas for her excellent organisation of the whole competition, including a workshop in the summer, and to Ludmila Stáně for her warm welcome and efficient management at Velehrad. We look forward to the next competition in 2023.

Susan Jenkinson

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Emmy Destinn Young Singers’ Awards 2019

The Final of the 11th Emmy Destinn Young Singers’ Competition was held at Velehrad in Barnes, South West London on 17th October 2019. The great Czech singer, Emmy Destinn (1878-1930) was the inspiration for the launch in London in 1998 of the foundation bearing her name, with the aim of promoting Czech opera and song and providing practical support to young singers.
There were six talented finalists: three sopranos, two tenors and a baritone, with their equally talented accompanists. All included two or more songs by Czech composers in their recitals.

The First Prize of £2,000, sponsored by Velehrad, was awarded to the soprano Milly Forrest, who had studied at the Royal Academy and the Royal College of Music. Milly has recently also won the Patricia Routledge English Song Competition. For the Emmy Destinn Young Singers’ Award, she sang Vendulka’s ‘Lullaby’ from Smetana’s ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Ach, není tu’ from Dvořák’s ‘In Folk Tone’, both in Czech. She commenced her recital in Italian with Ombre Pallide from Handel’s ‘Alcina’, and concluded it humorously in German with ‘Mein Herr Marquis’ from ‘Die Fledermaus’.

(l-r)Susan Jenkinson, Ludmilla Stánĕ, Karel Janovický, Jarmila Karas, Milly Forest, Yvette Bonner and Antonín Stánĕ (behind).

The winner of the Czech Song Prize of £500, sponsored by Robert Hendra, was the soprano, Katy Thomson, who had begun her career as an eight-year-old chorister at St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, and is currently studying at the Royal College of Music Opera Studio. In Czech, Katy sang Mařenka’s aria ‘Ten lásky sen’ from Smetana’s ‘The Bartered Bride’, one of Martinů’s ‘Miniatures’, ‘Veselé dievča’, and two songs by Dvořák: ‘V tak mnohém srdci mrtvo jest’ from his ‘Love Songs’ and ‘Hospodin jest můj pastýř’ from the ‘Biblical Songs’. She concluded her recital in Italian with Fiordiligi’s aria ‘Come scoglio’ from Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’.
The Dvořák Society for Czech and Slovak Music Prize was awarded to the tenor Mark Christian Bautista, born in the Philippines and currently studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In Czech, his recital included music by Dvořák, ‘Vy vroucí písně spějte’ from ‘Cypresses’ and ‘Když mne stará matka’ from ‘Gypsy Songs’, as well as Jeník’s ‘Až uzříš…Jak možná věřit’ from Smetana’s ‘The Bartered Bride’. In Italian, Mark Christian sang arias from Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’, and in German, ‘Dein ist mein ganzes Herz’ from Lehár’s ‘The Land of Smiles’.

Mark Christian Bautista is in the photograph with Dvořák Society Committee Members (left to righ) Karel Janovický, Susan Jenkinson and Terry Heard.

The Accompanist’s Prize of £300, sponsored by Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, was awarded to Raya Kostova, originally from Bulgaria, who has studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity Laban.