Opera Awards 2015: Nominations announced

Joyce DiDonato, Cecilia Bartoli and conductors Edward Gardner and Gianandrea Noseda have all been nominated for Opera Awards in a year that looks set to highlight opera companies and productions outside the UK.

Cecilia Bartoli’s album St Petersburg and Joyce DiDonato’s Stella di Napoli have both been nominated in the Operatic Recital CD category, along with a clutch of other recordings.

The Conductor category includes nods to Edward Gardner and Gianandrea Noseda as well as Semyon Bychkov.

Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato (pictured) is also nominated for the Female Singer award, along with others including sopranos Anna Netrebko and Sonya Yoncheva.

Countertenor Iestyn Davies and baritone Christian Gerhaher are both nominated in the Male Singer category.The nominees for the Readers' Award, which is decided by a public vote, includes tenor Jonas Kaufmann, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and soprano Nina Stemme.

Soprano Angel Blue, who is performing at this year's Classic FM Live, has been nominated in the Young Singer category.

In the heavyweight Opera Company category English National Opera is the only company in the UK to be nominated. Other nominees include Komische Oper Berlin, Opera Vlaanderen and Téâtre Royal de la Monnaie.

In the Chorus category both English National Opera and Welsh National Opera choruses are nominated.

All the winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Savoy Theatre on 26 April. Tickets are available from the Opera Awards website where you can also find a full list of the nominations.