experience the big stage
Competition
Dates
The International Singing Competition is held every two years. This year marks the 21st edition since its founding in 1987.
The application phase begins with a video pre-selection (e-casting), followed by preliminary auditions (live auditions) at selected locations worldwide. The top 40-45 talents qualify for the finals in Germany. The winners celebrate their success at the winners’ concert in Berlin.
Application Phase
- 08. Dec. 2025–01. Feb. 2026
- Apply now
Preselect
- April – June 2026
- Event Locations
Final Round
- 03.–10. Oct. 2026
- Gütersloh
Semi-Final
- 07. Oct. 2026
- Gütersloh
Final
- 09. Oct. 2026
- Gütersloh
Prizewinner Concert
- Spring 2027
- Berlin
Our Prizes
Apart from attractive cash prizes, our participants establish valuable contacts with directors, agencies, and festival managements, and they showcase themselves to an international audience on television, radio, and via livestream during the finals. The final concert will be streamed live on the international opera streaming platform OperaVision.
Cash Prizes
a total of 60,000 € to the top three ladies and gentlemen.
Special Prices
amounting to €10,000, starting from the audience award, through the junior jury prize, to honors in collaboration with project partners.
Audio & Video
Video recording of the competition & Live broadcast of concerts on TV, radio, and live stream.
Promotion
Brokerage with directors, festival leaders, and agents, career support – as well as appearances at the award concert.
Locations of the preliminary rounds
The preliminary rounds of the international singing competition NEUE STIMMEN take place at prestigious opera houses worldwide. All live auditions occur under realistic working conditions and provide the best environment for the talents of tomorrow. Discover here where the voices of the future are heard.
Amsterdam
Dutch National Opera & Ballet
The Atrium
April 13, 2026
New York
The National Opera Center
Marc Scorca Hall
April 16–17, 2026
Frankfurt
Frankfurt Opera
April 20, 2026
Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Baxter Hall
April 22, 2026
Zurich
Zurich Opera House
Rehearsal Stage Escher Wyss
April 27, 2026
Houston
Houston Grand Opera
April 27, 2026
Milan
Teatro alla Scala
May 4, 2026
London
Royal Opera House
May 07, 2026
Warsaw
Polish National Opera
Teatr Wielki
May 11, 2026
Paris
Opéra national de Paris
Amphithéâtre de l’Opéra Bastille
May 13, 2026
Munich
Prinzregententheater
May 26–27, 2026
Vienna
MusikTheater an der Wien
Kammeroper
June 6, 2026
Berlin
Deutsche Oper
June 9–10, 2026
Buenos Aires
Colón Theater
Date yet to be confirmed
Jury with Heart and Expertise
The international jury consists of general directors, opera and artistic directors, heads of opera studios, and renowned vocal artists. This diversity ensures a wide range of perspectives from across the music world. All jury members have worked with young singers for many years and are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of opera talent.
Alexander Neef
Director of the Paris Opera
Chairperson of the Jury
Samuel Gelber
- Director of Artistic Planning and Operations at the Washington National Opera
- Member of the preliminary selection panel
Sophie Joyce
- Casting Director of the Opéra national de Paris
- Member of the preliminary selection panel
Sophie de Lint
Director of the Dutch National Opera
Bernd Loebe
General Director of the Frankfurt Opera
Elisabeth Sobotka
General Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Michael Volle
Baritone
Christoph Seuferle
- Artistic Director of Deutsche Oper Berlin
- Member of the preliminary selection panel
Evamaria Wieser
- Casting Director of the Salzburger Festspiele
- European Casting Consultant, Lyric Opera Chicago
- Member of the preliminary selection panel
Observer
In addition to our jury, which evaluates the singers, we specifically invite other experts from the scene as observers. In this way, we increase the visibility of our up-and-coming talent in the industry.
Beata Klatka
Head of the Young Artists Programme
Director of the International Stanislaw Moniuszko Singing Competition at the Teatr Wielki of the Polish National Opera
Boris Anifantakis
Artistic Director of the International Opera Studio at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Rosemary Joshua
Direction of the Dutch National Opera Studio
Damia Carbonell Nicolau
Head of the Artistic Department of the Dutch National Opera & Ballet
Thomas Lausmann
Laura Nicorescu
- Manager of YSP Salzburg Festival
Ingo Jander
- Opera agent at the ZAV-Künstlervermittlung in Hannover
- Orchestra manager at Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra
Contributors
Many professionals with years of experience in opera making support our singers. In a combined effort the orchestra, the conductor and our pianists provide the contestants with active musical backing.
Duisburger Philharmoniker
Orchestra
Holger Noltze
Host
Teresa Vogl
Host
Alfredo Abbati
Pianist
Raffaele Cortesi
Pianist
Edward Liddall
Pianist
Susanna Stranders
Pianist
Simone Dollmann
PR- and Marketing-Manager
Coach
Evaluation System
The NEUE STIMMEN evaluation system stands for professionalism and fairness. An internationally recognized jury evaluates all participants according to a unified scoring system based on clear, objective criteria.
Technical skill, musical interpretation, vocal quality, and artistic presence are all assessed equally. This creates a transparent process that highlights exceptional talents.
Round 1
In the first round, only complete applications with accurate information and videos will be accepted for the evaluation process.
The evaluation process takes place after the application deadline. The review of the videos will be conducted by Samuel Gelber, Director of Artistic Planning and Operations at the Washington National Opera, Sophie Joyce, Casting Director of the Opéra National de Paris, Evamaria Wieser, Casting Director of the Salzburg Festival, and Christoph Seuferle, Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. A standardized scoring system will be used for a comparable and transparent evaluation.
After reviewing the videos, the jury will decide who will be allowed to participate in the live auditions (Round 2).
All applicants will be informed of this decision via email at the beginning/mid-April 2026.
The jury’s decisions are final and binding.
Round 2
In the second round, the aforementioned jurors will evaluate the following criteria:
- Technical skill
- Musical interpretation (rhythm, phrasing, expression)
- Vocal quality
- Artistic personality/presence
All four criteria are of equal importance. For each criterion, 0 to 5 points are awarded. 5 points is the highest score for each criterion, with a maximum total score of 20 points possible.
In case of ties, age and developmental potential will determine qualification for the final round.
The decisions of the jury are final and cannot be contested.
All participants in the second round will be notified of their results via email 3–4 weeks after their live audition. At the same time, evaluations (point scores) can be accessed in the online application.
Round 3
The final round is divided into three stages:
- First stage: Live auditions with piano
- Second stage: Semifinals with piano
- Third stage: Finals with orchestra
During the live auditions, each jury member evaluates the singers in four categories:
They assess:
- Technical skill
- Musical interpretation (rhythm, phrasing, expression)
- Vocal quality
- Artistic personality/presence
All four criteria are of equal importance. For each criterion, 0–5 points are awarded. 5 points is the highest score for each criterion, and a maximum total score of 20 points can be achieved.
The point allocation occurs anonymously via iPad. After the first round is completed, all results will be presented and discussed in the jury panel. In tie situations, age and development potential will determine qualification for the semifinals. A maximum of 16 singers may be nominated to participate in the semifinals. The jury’s decisions are final.
All candidates will be informed after the first round whether they have qualified to participate in the semifinals. Simultaneously, individual evaluations (point awards) can be accessed in the online application. In the semifinals, each jury member judges based on ranking. A maximum of 8 singers, ranked 1-8, may be nominated to participate in the finals.
In the finals, each jury member will judge again based on ranking. The allocation of prizes will be based on the determined rankings. First, second, and third prizes may be awarded multiple times with the consent of the competition management.
The jury has an advisory role in the awarding of special prizes.