The singer was named the 2026 recipient of the Prix Yves Paternot after performing Violetta in La traviata at this year’s Verbier Festival.
Georgian soprano Ana Oniani has been awarded the 2026 Prix Yves Paternot, the highest distinction presented annually by the Verbier Festival Academy to one of its young artists.
The announcement was made following Oniani’s performance as Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata, presented by the Academy’s Atelier Lyrique with the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra under the baton of James Gaffigan.
Named in memory of Yves Paternot, founder of The Friends of the Verbier Festival and a long-serving member of the Festival Foundation Board, the award recognises outstanding artistic achievement and future potential among participants in the Academy. It includes a cash prize of CHF 10,000, an invitation to return for a future Verbier Festival performance and eligibility for up to CHF 15,000 in additional support for artistic and professional development.
Originally from Georgia, Oniani first studied conducting before pursuing a career as a singer. She graduated from the Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire and has already performed at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Royal Opera House Muscat and with the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra in China. Since 2025, she has been a member of the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris.
Commenting on the award, Stephen McHolm, Director of the Verbier Festival Academy, praised Oniani’s stage presence and described her as “an exceptional young artist with a very bright future.”
Oniani said receiving the prize was “an incredible honour and encouragement” as she begins the next stage of her career.
In addition to the Prix Yves Paternot, the Verbier Festival Academy announced several other awards recognising outstanding participants across different disciplines. Among the recipients were the Fibonacci Quartet (Goldman Sachs Gives Award), Australian cellist Benett Tsai (Prix Jean-Nicolas Firmenich), violinist Mariam Abouzahra (Prix Reyl), South Korean violinist Hyunseo Kim (Prix Rodolphe et Helen Tissières), Swiss cellist Lyam Chenaux (Prix Rotary), French soprano Fanny Soyer and Chinese baritone Yu He (Prix Thierry Mermod), Chinese pianist Zhexiang Li (The Tabor Foundation Award), and French violist Héloïse Houzé (Prix APCAV).
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