Vienna Opera Week 2026 officially opened on August 1, with masterclasses hosted at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. The programme included pre-session vocal training and the Thomas Hampson Masterclass. A graduation concert was held on August 7 at Loreley Saal in Vienna to support the development of young vocal artists. At the end of the concert, the Austrian Chinese Musicians Association presented Thomas Hampson with the appointment as Honorary Director of the Association.

On the afternoon of August 8, the Vienna Danube International Vocal Competition took place at Esterházy Castle. Role auditions for Oper im Steinbruch were held concurrently. Daniel Serafin, Artistic Director of the opera house and President of the Austrian Chinese Musicians Association, extended invitations to outstanding participants to perform in the opera house’s 2027 production of Verdi’s classic opera Rigoletto.

As a platform for Sino-Austrian musical exchange, ACMA keeps creating international vocal workshops, competitions and performance opportunities. It connects training, contests and professional stage engagements, enabling young musicians to perform on European opera stages and further deepen Sino-Austrian exchanges in vocal art.