Tobias Hasan and Rosemary Joshua to join the Mirjam Helin Competition jury

In June 2027 the Mirjam Helin Singing Competition will be coming to Turku. The competition serves as a springboard into an international career, and many of the talented young musicians who have found success at the Mirjam Helin Competition have later become international stars in the world of singing.

Tobias Hasan leads artistic operations at Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden and plays a key role in determining the opera house’s artistic direction and programme. Rosemary Joshua is the director of the Dutch National Opera Studio, where young talent is prepared for international opera careers. Both work with some of the leading young singers from around the world and the international opera scene on a daily basis.

“I’m delighted to welcome onto the jury two new professionals with such strong backgrounds in working with singers. And thanks to their experience as professional singers, they also bring to the table personal experience of what it is like to compete as a young singer,” states Competition Director of the Mirjam Helin Singing Competition Päivi Loponen-Kyrönseppä.

The chair of the jury, Camilla Nylund,is one of Finland’s best known opera singers worldwide. The multi-award-winning soprano performs regularly at some of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Bavaria, New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, La Scala in Milan, the Opéra Bastille in Paris, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and the Hamburg State Opera.

Details of the remaining jury members for the 2027 Mirjam Helin Singing Competition will be released at a later date.

Tobias Hasan – from singer to opera director

Tobias Hasan has been the artistic director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin since 2013. Prior to this, he worked as casting director and senior booker of the Hamburg State Opera. He completed his singing studies at Mozarteum University Salzburg. He regularly serves on juries for the likes of the international Tenor Viñas Competition in Barcelona, the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, and the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Warsaw.

Rosemary Joshua – acclaimed soprano and opera studio director

Rosemary Joshua is the director of the Dutch National Opera Studio for young people, having been involved in the initiative since its launch in 2018. In her singing career, Joshua has appeared on the world’s top opera stages. She regularly serves as a juror at many prestigious competitions, including the BBC’s Cardiff Singer of the World and the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.

Tenth International Mirjam Helin Singing Competition and festival to take place in Turku on 5–17 June 2027

The prizes for the competition are the biggest of any international classical singing competition anywhere in the world. The main prize is €60,000, while the other finalists will take home prizes in the range of €10,000–40,000. The total prize money amounts to over €200,000, and in addition to the monetary prizes, the successful singers will also be supported with performance contracts and career mentoring.

• Preliminary rounds: 7–9 June 2027 at Sigyn Hall.
• Semi-finals: 11–12 June 2027 at Music Centre Fuuga’s Concert Hall.
• Final: 17 June 2027 at Music Centre Fuuga’s Concert Hall with Turku Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Chief Conductor John Storgårds.