Eleven opera talents advance to finale

Photo credit: Bertelsmann Stiftung/Besim Mazhiqi 

Gütersloh – June 29, 2022. Eleven young singers have qualified for the finale of the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition. Appearing with orchestral accompaniment before an audience in the Gütersloh Stadthalle, the finalists will perform tomorrow, Thursday, June 30, beginning at 7 pm to determine this year’s first-place winners. The final concert will be streamed live as of 7 pm on www.neue-stimmen.de, www.medici.tv and www.myfidelio.at and with a time delay on www.mezzo.tv. The following seven women and four men have been chosen as this year’s finalists:

Davtyan, Lilit, soprano, Armenia

Han, Yewon, soprano, South Korea

Joneau, Eugénie, mezzo-soprano, France

Neuhaus, Alma, mezzo-soprano, USA

Monreal, Marvic, mezzo-soprano, Malta

Rahal, Marcela, mezzo-soprano, Brazil

Vitale, Francesca Pia, soprano, Italy

Mitu, Dumitru, tenor, Moldova

Mkosana, Sakhiwe, baritone, South Africa

Pachon, Carles, baritone, Spain

Yang, Seungwoo Simon, tenor, South Korea

“Reaching the NEUE STIMMEN finale is a fantastic accomplishment for these young singers. It is a fitting reward for their hard work in recent months. They’ve impressed us not only with their outstanding voices, but above all with their personality, discipline and charisma. I firmly believe that many doors in the opera world will soon be opened to all of them. But first we can look forward to experiencing these exceptional talents in the finale. I sincerely wish much success to everyone who will be giving their all on stage tomorrow,” said Liz Mohn, president of NEUE STIMMEN and of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Liz Mohn Center.

From initial application to finale
Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the NEUE STIMMEN team felt that it was very important or organize the 19th edition of the international singing competition, thereby giving young singers prospects for the future in these uncertain times. The great response confirmed the need for a professional opportunity of this sort: Some 1,400 up-and-coming singers from 67 countries applied to participate in NEUE STIMMEN. After completion of the auditions, 33 talents from 21 countries travelled to the final round in Gütersloh. They had the opportunity on Monday and Tuesday to convince the jury led by Dominique Meyer, director of La Scala opera house in Milan, that they have the vocal ability and personality to compete in tomorrow’s finale. The eleven singers must now give their all if they want to prevail over their very talented competitors. The top three women and three men have the chance to take home prizes totaling €60,000.

Additional information
The NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition was initiated in 1987 by Liz Mohn, president of NEUE STIMMEN and of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Liz Mohn Center. The competition is considered one of the world’s most important platforms for up-and-coming opera singers, who can use the competition to make contact with jury members, opera-house managers and music agents. NEUE STIMMEN has helped numerous talents launch international careers, including renowned singers such as Christiane Karg, Nathalie Stutzmann, Marina Rebeka, Michael Volle, René Pape, Franco Fagioli, Nadine Sierra and Elsa Dreisig.

Note for journalists: Images and background information on the NEUE STIMMEN final round can be downloaded at: https://stiftung.bertelsmann-archiv.de/neue-stimmen-2022/ 

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