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Winona Vettraino Berry walked away from the Clermont-Ferrand opera-theater with two prizes: the Audience Prize and the Young Audience Prize. Admittedly, the mezzo-soprano did not win the Didon et Enée prize, which was awarded at the end of the 28th edition of the Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Competition.dition of the Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Competition, but it was with the satisfaction of having won over her audience that the artist took to the road again.
To reach the final, Winona went through several selection stages, during which she stood out from the hundreds of other candidates. "The atmosphere was very friendly", Winona insists. In front of the jury and the public, throughout the week of April 7 to 12, the artist gave one performance after another. In the elimination round, she sang "Ah! Belinda, I am pressed with torment", an extract from Dido and Æneas by Henry Purcell. Then a text on the subject of perverts and narcissists, taken from an anonymous letter. In the semi-final, she proposed an extract from Don Quixote by John Ecclès ("I burn, my brain consumes to ashes"). Then, in the final, she performed twice with an extract from Massenet's Werther ("Va! Laisse couler mes larmes") and another from Henry Purcell's Dido and Æneas ("Thy hand Belinda... When I am laid"). At every stage there was an audience," says Winona. It's very important for me because the audience helps me to feel more at ease. It's not like auditioning in front of a jury. You're in show conditions, and that makes you want to perform the songs even more. "
"I was deeply touched
Despite the anguish of taking part in such a competition, Winona takes satisfaction from having gone all the way. "I wanted to go all the way to the final," she says. Especially as, at 23, she was the youngest of the contestants. I was worried about the final, because Didon's Death is a very difficult, well-known piece, and you always have to make your contribution," she says. It's a song that corresponds to a certain age, a certain maturity that I don't yet embody at my age, and that I could only sing with my current voice. "For her second interpretation, Winona hadn't chosen to make things easy for herself, as she explains: "I chose the excerpt from Massenet's Werther because it's a character that echoed Dido, and as I was applying for the role, I wanted people to be able to project themselves onto me. Except that Charlotte isn't a role for me yet. It's too early to interpret it. It's a very demanding piece, with notes that aren't necessarily in my range. As a result, I wasn't very serene and I realized that I hadn't necessarily chosen the right pieces. But during my performances, I could only think of one thing: touching the audience. "On stage, however, she has the feeling that she can't produce what she hopes. I left the stage, went to the toilet and cried a lot," she confides. I was disappointed that I hadn't managed to convey what I wanted to convey. I called my mother, relaxed and went to listen to the other candidates. "Then came the long wait before the results were announced.
The winners take to the stage for the various prizes, without her name being mentioned. Winona was sitting backstage when she suddenly heard the call for the Young Audience prize. I didn't know there was this prize," she says. It was so cute because it was awarded by children. They're the ones who'll come and listen to us later, so it's important. Now I'm on stage, I'm happy, and they're still calling me for the Audience Award! It was a big shock. I was so disappointed with my performance. I was deeply touched. I left on a cloud. "
Winona is now awaiting three confirmations. One from a school in Berlin, Germany, another from the Académie de Bordeaux for a production in 2026, then a response to join a degree program in Nice. I also have a concert project with the conservatory called Clarmen," smiles the artist. We'll be singing Carmen arias with clarinets only. We've had a few rehearsals and it's going to be great. We're going to do a staging with a Don José, but one that won't kill Carmen. I'll be singing two arias, including the famous Habanera, Love is a rebellious bird. "On May 23, she will be auditioning at the Opéra-Comique to show herself off to several directors, as part of Génération Opéra.
Winona has another important show in store: the one that will mark the end of her six years at the Conservatoire and earn her Diplôme d'études musicales. A performance, because the ultimate test takes the form of a recital. "We're in the process of learning the lyrics, and it's going to be a lot of fun," she enthuses. Then her real life as an artist can begin. With its uncertainties, but above all its joys. Like the joy of seducing audiences again and again.
