October 10, 2024
Gütersloh, October 10, 2024. Eight young singers have qualified for the final of the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition. They will perform tomorrow, Friday, October 11, from 7 p.m. in front of an audience and orchestral accompaniment in the Gütersloh Stadthalle to compete for the top prizes. The final concert will be broadcast live on operavision.eu from 7 p.m. If you can’t be there live, you can also listen to the final concert on Deutschlandradio on October 20 at 8:05 p.m. or watch a recording on YouTube later.
The finalists – four women and four men – are:
- Baliñas Vieites, Alejandro / Bass, Spain
- Haumschilt-Rocha, Trevor / Baritone, United States
- Monserrat, Anita / Mezzo-Soprano, United Kingdom
- Pinar, Seray / Mezzo-Soprano, Turkey
- Rucker, Ian / Baritone, United States
- Russomanno, Martina / Soprano, Italy/ United States
- Sagal, Finn / Baritone, United States
- Todua, Teona / Soprano, Ukraine
“These young men and women have not only impressed us with their outstanding voices, but also with their personality and charisma. They will soon have many doors open to them in the world of opera. I sincerely wish all those who will be giving their best on stage tomorrow every success. I look forward to experiencing the magic of opera again with their performances in the final,” says Liz Mohn, founder of the competition and Chairwoman of the Liz Mohn Foundation.
Special Prizes Awarded by the Junior Jury and the Mascarade Opera Foundation
The special prize of the Junior Jury, awarded for the first time, is worth 500 euros. NEUE STIMMEN would like to inspire more young people for opera and incorporate what is relevant for the next generation of audiences on and off the stage. The young jurors honored the Bass Alejandro Baliñas Vieites from Spain and particularly highlighted his authenticity and stage presence. The Mascarade Opera Foundation once again awarded the Talent Development Prize. The prize was awarded to the Soprano Mariam Suleiman from Italy, who can look forward to a one-week training stay at their opera studio in Florence.
All the Way from the Application to the Final
Over 1,000 young singers from 73 countries applied for NEUE STIMMEN in 2024. After the pre-selections were completed, 40 talents from 19 nations finally traveled to the final round in Gütersloh. At the auditions on Monday and Tuesday of this week, they had to demonstrate their vocal qualities and personality to the prestigious jury headed by Dominique Meyer, Director of La Scala in Munich. In tomorrow’s final, the selected talents will have to present all their skills in order to prove themselves against the strong competitors. The top three male and female singers will receive prizes worth a total of 60,000 euros.
Additional Information
Caption: Liz Mohn, founder of the competition and chairwoman of the Liz Mohn Stiftung, and Dominique Meyer, chairman of the NEUE STIMMEN jury, together with the finalists of this year’s competition.
Important Update
Semifinalist Magdalena Lucjan has been nominated by the jury as a replacement for the ill Martina Russomanno. She will perform in the final concert on Friday.
