2026 Competition

It is 2026 and we are celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the founding of the Giulio Gari Foundation. This year we held our Twenty-First annual Competition at the Liederkranz followed by our Winners Concert and Gala Dinner at the Players Club, New York. Founded in 2001 by Gloria Gari, Glen Gary, Stephen DeMaio and Licia Albanese, our first competition was held in 2003. This year we celebrated our Twenty-Fifth at the Players Club, New York, thanks to the generosity of long-time board member and friend of the Gari Family, Tarquin Callen.

The 2026 Competition

The competition was held at the venerable Liederkranz Club, the oldest continuing club in New York dedicated to classical singing.

We thank Liederkranz and the Max Kade Foundation for their continuing support of our mission.

The Giulio Gari Winners 2026

First Prize – $10,000

SonJin Kim – Stephen De Maio Award

Second Prize – $7,500

Anna Thompson – Glen Gary Award

Third Prize – $5,000

Ben Reisinger – Licia Albanese Award

Fourth Prize – $4,000

Anna Kelly – Elinor Ross Award

Fifth Prize – $3,000

Nan Wang – Scott Barnes Award

GRANT WINNERS

Lin Fan – Sponsored by Paula Baron $1,500
Luna Seongeun Park – Sponsored by Michelle Classe $1,500
Yoonsoo Jang – Sponsored by Peter Herbert $1,500
Ruijia Dong – Sponsored by Cathy Capobianco $1,000

FINALISTS

Sophia Beate
Jihye Jang
Dasol Lee
Enes Pektas
Hyun Woo Ro
Joseph Sacchi
Yihe Wang

In Memorium

LUD R. MAYLEAS

July 9, 1943 – December 4, 2025

It is with profound gratitude that we celebrate the life of Lud Mayleas, a devoted friend to Gloria Gari and a pillar of the Giulio Gari Foundation. Lud served with distinction as a longtime member of our Board of Directors and dedicated many years of service as our Treasurer.

A native of New York City, Lud was a lifelong scholar and an avid reader. His profound love of history not only informed his extensive personal library but also inspired his many travels. As a gifted raconteur, he possessed an inexhaustible wealth of knowledge, delighting friends and colleagues with vivid details of the historical eras and locales that captured his imagination.

KALMAN ANGUS CLARK

In May 8—the day before our 25th Anniversary Celebration—we lost another longtime board member and dear friend of Gloria Gari, Kalman Angus Clark. Both were valued members of the Giulio Gari family. We will deeply miss their friendship, guidance, and presence, and we extend our sincerest condolences to their families and many friends.