The World Opera Competition, Operalia was founded in 1993 by renowned Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo to discover, honor and support the best new young Opera singers of this era. His main goal is to attract singers of all vocal ranges and nationalities, and let them be heard by a panel of distinguished international Opera jurors in one of the most competitive showcases in the world. This year, Operalia will come to Italy for the first time ever. It will be held at one of Europe’s operatic Cathedrals, the Teatro alla Scala in the city of Milan.

“I created this competition as I did the Young Artists programs in Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Valencia to pave the way for young aspiring artists and to help them overcome the first few obstacles that they will find in their path to a professional career in Opera. I, not only want to identify the finest voices out there, but also want to discover those young talents whom, by their character, stage presence and natural sense of interpretation stand out as potential complete artists.”

The Operalia competition began in Paris in 1993 and although there have been some repeats in cities like Paris, Madrid and Los Angeles; it has been hosted in a different international city every year since.

Mexico - 1994, Madrid – 1995, Bordeaux – 1996, Tokyo – 1997, Hamburg – 1998, Puerto Rico – 1999, Los Angeles – 2000, Washington – 2001, Paris – 2002 (the tenth), Lake Constance – 2003, Los Angeles – 2004, Madrid – 2005, Valencia – 2006, Paris – 2007 (the fifteenth), Québec – 2008 and Budapest – 2009.

Now on its eighteenth edition, Operalia will come to the Teatro alla Scala on the Season of Plácido Domingo’s very own recent 40th anniversary celebration of his debut at the Teatro in Giuseppe Verdi’s Ernani.  Four decades later, Plácido Domingo will also take on the leading role of Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.
Operalia Milan 2010 will also mark the institution of two new Birgit Nilsson prices for the best female and the best male voices in the German repertoire of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. In 2009 Plácido Domingo became the first recipient of the Birgit Nilsson Prize created by the late Swedish star soprano Birgit Nilsson to honour the “performing artist”. It is the most generous prize in the world of classical music. Visibly moved Plácido Domingo pledged: "The Prize money will greatly benefit the young singers of my annual competition, Operalia".

Year after year, Operalia continues to grow in popularity, and prestige. It remains Plácido Domingo's highest priority to institute Operalia as his most significant contribution to the world of Opera.