Martina Russomanno & Tomislav Jukić
Dreams Do Come True
Martina Russomanno & Tomislav Jukić
Dreams Do Come True
Every summer, for six weeks, the Salzburg Festival turns the city into a stage. In the early evening, women in gowns and men in tuxedos stream toward the venues, eager to hear the world’s finest performers. No wonder that for young singers, this festival represents a zenith – reach Salzburg, and you’ve truly arrived. The Kühne Foundation gives emerging talent a taste of what it means to perform at one of the world’s most famous festivals through the Young Singers Project. Coinciding with the festival, it gives them the rare opportunity to experience great artists up close, learn from them in masterclasses, and even perform alongside them.
In 2022, soprano Martina Russomanno, from Italy, was among the participants. She studied opera in Salzburg and was well aware of the privilege to be part of the YSP. “I always imagined what it would be like to be part of this world. Then I was chosen and suddenly I was standing next to the people I had admired for years,” she recalls. The program proved pivotal for her early career: she was chosen for a part in Puccini’s “Il trittico.” During rehearsals other singers noticed her, connections were made, and her first agent relationship grew from this exposure.
Croatian tenor Tomislav Jukić, a participant in the summer of 2025, applied while training at the International Opera Studio in Zurich – which also receives regular support from the Kühne Foundation. He remembers focusing all his energy on the YSP audition, and he could hardly believe his own luck at being accepted. A major highlight was performing in the world premiere of “Musketiere!”, a children’s opera from contemporary composer Sebastian Schwab. “Because this was an entirely new piece, I could be part of shaping the role from scratch. That’s not possible in traditional pieces where a part already has a long history,” he says.
Martina Russomanno’s dream of the big stage has been there for as long as she can remember – going from pop to the opera she discovered at 14. Tomislav Jukić describes his own path as embracing the moments that came his way, leading him to join a choir at 14 that started him on the road to opera. Both singers say that dreaming is not enough – it takes discipline, persistence, and sweat. And opportunities like the Young Singers Program.
“I focused all my energy on the YSP audition, and could hardly believe my own luck at being accepted. A major highlight was performing in the world premiere of "Musketiere!” Because this was an entirely new piece, I could be part of shaping the role from scratch.”
Tomislav Jukić
Nurturing Young Talent
Established in 2008, the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project (YSP) is a springboard for emerging vocal talent. Numerous auditions are held to select participants from among hundreds of applicants. The successful candidates receive a scholarship, intensive artistic training, and the chance to rehearse and collaborate directly with festival artists. The Kühne Foundation supports the YSP as part of its role as Main Sponsor of the Salzburg Festival. Since 1961, the International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera has been training young opera singers – as a bridge between completing their vocal studies and entering the professional world. Along with receiving further training and participating in master classes with established artists, members have an opportunity to take on roles on the main stage. The Kühne Foundation regularly supports the International Opera Studio and productions at the Zurich Opera.
Antonello De Marco
Andrea Bembenek-Jaimes, Amina Djoudad & Steven Roche
Tobias Kratzer & Bjarke Ingels