We have a jury! 

1 December 2023

Chaired by the Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski, the 2024 Mirjam Helin Competition jury will hand out cash prizes worth a record sum of €190,000 next June. We are delighted to confirm that Isokoski will be joined by the US soprano Dawn Upshaw, Danish baritone Bo Skovhus, Norwegian mezzo soprano and opera chief Randi Stene, and British-Indian lied pianist Keval Shah. 

Bo Skovhus is a master of both opera and lied, whose recordings include Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch with Isokoski. The versatile Randi Stene has acted as the Director of Opera for the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet since 2020. Recognised for his artistic and intellectual originality, Keval Shah has been a lecturer in lied at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, since 2020. He is also the first non-singer on the Mirjam Helin Competition jury. A multiple Grammy winner, Dawn Upshaw has championed both contemporary music and a more traditional repertoire. Her voice has inspired many composers, including Kaija Saariaho and Esa-Pekka Salonen. 

The extensive career of the lyrical soprano Soile Isokoski has taken her to opera and concert stages around the world, including the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan. She joined the Mirjam Helin jury for the first time in 2009, and she became the jury chair in 2022.