Media Release

July 29, 2023 – VERBIER (Switzerland) – Ava Dodd, a 25-year old soprano, has won the Verbier Festival Academy’s Prix Yves Paternot in recognition of the most accomplished and promising musician of the annual Academy for young professional musicians.

Yves Paternot was an emblematic figure of the Verbier Festival; he was founder of the Friends of the Verbier Festival and member of the Foundation’s Board. In tribute to his commitment, the Prix Yves Paternot recognises the Academy’s most accomplished musician. The recipient is awarded CHF 10,000, an invitation to return to Verbier in a future year to perform in the Festival and is eligible for a contribution of up to CHF 15,000 to support his or her artistic and professional development.

Ava Dodd is a member of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt ensemble where her roles in the 2022 / 23 season included Waldvögel (Siegfried), Oscar (Un ballo in maschera), Mirjam (HIOB), and the soprano solos in Carmina Burana. In concert, she has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RTE Concert Orchestra, Der Nürnberger Symphoniker, Das Kärntner Sinfonieorchester, and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. In competition, she was a dual prizewinner in the final of the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition (2022). She completed her bachelor’s degree at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where she studied with Mary Brennan, and went on to complete a master’s degree at the Royal College of Music in London with Janis Kelly.

Dodd will perform the role of Anne Trulove in Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress on the Festival’s closing day, featuring the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra and its Music Director, James Gaffigan

The Verbier Festival is a classical music festival that encourages sharing between great musicians and young aspiring artists from around the world. It is committed to excellence in music performance and education through its highly respected artistic programme, its Academy and Orchestra programmes, and UNLTD, its cultural engagement laboratory. The 30th edition of the Verbier Festival will place July 14 to 30, 2023 in Verbier (Switzerland). The Festival is made possible with the generous support of its many private and public sponsors such as Aline Foriel-Destezet, the Association of the Friends of the Verbier Festival, the Commune de Val de Bagnes and through partnerships with Anniversary Sponsor Rolex and Principal Sponsors Bank Julius Baer and SICPA.