Product Code Database
Neue Stimmen ( New Voices) is an international singing competition.Neue Stimmen 1999, a TV documentary by Anette Kanzler und Konstanze Brill for ARD. It was established in 1987 on the initiative of Liz Mohn with the support of August Everding to promote opera's young talent. It is considered an important forum for new talent, one that has marked the beginning of international careers for many participants. The singing competition was hosted every two years by the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Gütersloh, most recently in June 2022.
Organized together with the managers' committee of the Deutscher Bühnenverein, the association representing Germany's theaters and orchestras, the first competition took place at the Gütersloh Community Center in October 1987. In contrast to other events designed to promote new talent, the Neue Stimmen participants performed on a large stage in a concert hall, which they had to fill vocally. They were also accompanied by a symphony orchestra. In conjunction with the competition, the Bertelsmann Stiftung organized a symposium at which experts debated cultural policy issues. The symposium was also held in subsequent years.
Neue Stimmen was initially a European singing contest since only artists who trained in Europe qualified to participate. One noteworthy aspect is that singers from Eastern Europe competed right from the start. Beginning in the 1990s, artists from other countries also participated, for example from China, Israel, Japan, Korea and the United States. Neue Stimmen thus took on its current international form. The number of participants has grown steadily through the years. Approximately 1,500 applications are now submitted for each competition.
After events in 1987, 1988 and 1989, the organizers began holding competitions every two years. The first master class took place in 1997 and has been held ever since in the years between the competitions. It supports the development of particularly talented singers who have previously competed in Neue Stimmen. In 2012, a lied master class was added, which was also held in 2013 and 2014. The organizers want to use this event to maintain the lied as an art form.
Due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 master class was held entirely digitally for the first time. Participants were given the opportunity to develop both their artistic and career skills in individual and group training sessions via video. In 2022, the New Voices will return to Gütersloh as a presence event. The final concert was accompanied by the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Darlington.
The jury first sifts through the best talents in preliminary selections. The process takes place worldwide under fair and professional conditions, for example in New York City or Cape Town. After the pre-selection, selected participants are invited to Gütersloh and accompanied by repetiteurs. There, the prize winners are determined in a final concert with an orchestra.
Since 2013, there has been a female and male first, second, and third place respectively, which allows for a fairer evaluation of the participants. Sometimes it can happen that two prize winners take the same place if they prove to be equal in front of the jury. There are also promotional, audience, and other special prizes.
The New Voices prize winners receive prize money depending on their placement. In 2022, it was 15,000, 10,000 and 5,000 euros. They are accompanied in the further course of their career, for example in accepting further engagements. Artistic directors and agents use the singing competition as a talent exchange to sign up promising singers.
From 1987 to 1997, August Everding headed the committee. From 1999 to 2001, René Kollo took his place. In 2003, 2005 and 2007, Gerard Mortier was at the helm. Patrons of the singing competition have been Richard von Weizsäcker (1993), Roman Herzog (1995), Rita Süssmuth (1997), Wolfgang Clement (1999) and Peter Ustinov (2001).
|
|
