Founded in 1963 by Jacint Vilardell to commemorate the Catalan tenor Francisco Viñas, the Competition has become one of the major contests in the Opera, Oratorio and Lied world, in which young singers from all over the world take part every year. 

To provide an opportunity for singers from other countries to take part, the Gran Teatre del Liceu has an agreement with the opera houses in Madrid, Paris, London, Berlin, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing for preliminary rounds to be staged in these cities.