Applications open
November 15, 2023
Discover - Nurture - Present

A Network for Success

NEUE STIMMEN 2024

The International Singing Competition NEUE STIMMEN takes place every two years.
2024 is our next competition year and at the same time our 20th competition. After a two months application phase including a newly installed video pre-selection process (e-casting), live auditions are held at selected locations worldwide. The best 40 to 45 performers qualify for the final round in Germany.
Winners celebrate their success at the prize-winners concert in Berlin.

Application ı November 15, 2023 - January 31, 2024

Grab attention

The application phase for the competition will start on November 15, 2023. Information on WHEN, WHO, HOW and MORE will follow in fall 2023

How to apply & good to know

Live Auditions ı Spring to Summer 2024

Showcase your talent

Select your pre-selection city when you apply. You will find which country, city, when and at which opera house auditions will take place in the drop-down from October 2023.

Final Round ı October 5-12, 2024

Meet opera movers

The final round of the 2024 competition will take place in Gütersloh from October 5 - 12, 2024. The final concert will be accompanied by the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Darlington.

Prize winner concert

Celebrate your success

The prizewinners' concert will take place in Berlin in 2025.

Our experts during auditions and the final round

Competent and committed

The international jury is made up of experienced professionals, including directors, conductors, pianists, music critics and casting directors, to guarantee the broadest possible understanding of the world of opera and music. Our experts have been working with young singers for many years and promoting opera talents is a cause very close to their hearts.

Jury (Competition 2021/22)

Dominique Meyer

Chairman of the Jury, Director at Milan's La Scala

Biography

Brian Dickie

Former General Director of the Chicago Opera Theater

Biography

Sophie de Lint

Director of the Dutch National Opera

Biography

Sophie Joyce

Casting Director for the Opéra national de Paris

Biography

Bernd Loebe

General Director of the Opera Frankfurt

Biography

Elisabeth Sobotka

General Director of the Bregenz Festival

Biography

Evamaria Wieser

Artistic Director of the Salzburg Festival and European Casting Consultant Lyric Opera Chicago

Biography

Bernarda Fink

Mezzo-Soprano

Biography

Christoph Seuferle

Opera director Deutsche Oper Berlin

Biography

Susanne Schmidt

Casting Director of the Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp and Gent

Biography

Long term partners (Competition 2021/22)

... contribute their know how

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.

Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra

Orchester

Orchestra History
© Andreas Köhring

Jonathan Darlington

Conductor

Biography
© WDR

Holger Noltze

Host

Biography

Raffaele Cortesi

Pianist

Biography

Susanna Stranders

Pianist

Biography

Francesco Greco

Biography

Edward Liddall

Pianist

Biography

John Norris

Coach

Biography

Our Awards

Promoting and supporting talented young singers

Prizemoney

We will award a total prize money of 60.000 Euros to the top three female and three male prize-winners. In addition special money awards are given to selected finalists.

People's choice award

a voucher worth 500 Euros

Audio & Video

Recordings during the competiton & Broadcasts in TV and Radio, as well as a Live Stream of the Concert

Support

Contact brokering to general directors of opera companies and festivals as well as to agents, individual coaching units and career coaching seminars, and performances at the prize winners concert.

More about our Awards

Review: NEUE STIMMEN Competition 2021/22

The final concert in full length

For those who missed the final concert or just want to enjoy it again in full length, check out our Neue Stimmen YouTube playlist! There you can also find all concert arias individually. So if you want to relive Dumitru Mitu's "E lucevan le stelle" or Marvic Monreal's "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix", or maybe one of the winning arias (Carles Pachon's "Largo al factotum" perhaps?!): This way...

Find the playlist here

Our winners 2022

These are our winners! Francesca Pia Vitale from Italy, who also won the audience award, and Carles Pachon from Spain are the winners of Neue Stimmen 2022.
Second place went to Eugénie Joneau and Sakhiwe Mkosana, and third place went to Yewon Han and Dumitru Mitu. The Brian Dickie Young Talent Award was presented again this year, and went to the young South Korean Taehan Kim. The jury also awarded two "Talent Development Prizes" for the first time. The tenor Zachary Rioux from Canada and the soprano Parchiyachart Sitthidamrongkarn from Thailand can be pleased about it. This prize is sponsored by the Mascarade Opera Studio and the Fondazione Mascarade in Florence. The prize includes a stay of up to three weeks in Florence with the opportunity to join the opera studio there on a permanent basis.

Read the press release here

Our Finalists

11 singers have made it to the finals concert of this year's competition. We are very excited! Congrats to Marcela Rahal, Eugénie Joneau, Sakhiwe Mkosana, Francesca Pia Vitale, Alma Neuhaus, Lilit Davtyan, Dumitru Mitu, Yewon Han, Marvic Monreal, Carles Pachon (left to right) and Seungwoo Simon Yang (missing on the photo).
The final concert will take place on June 30 - the link to the livestream can be found here on the website.

The press release

Meet our singers 2022!

The wait is over. After an intensive selection phase, they have been chosen! We are very pleased to finally be able to present our final round participants 2022. In June, 36 singers will come to Gütersloh to prove their talent once again. On our overview you can find all singers with headshot, biography and some backstage information. In the course of April, we will introduce all singers in more detail on our social media channels. If you don't want to miss it, feel free to check us out on Instagram and Facebook.

Click here for the listing

NEW DATE Final Round 2022!

The final round of NEUE STIMMEN 2021/22 competition will be moved from March to June. This decision has not been taken lightly, but our responsibility for the welfare of all people involved must be our priority considering rising infection rates in Germany. The new date for the final round will be June 26-30, 2022, which will take place in a shortened format. Thus, the semifinal concert will be cancelled, the auditions as well as the final concert with orchestral accompaniment will remain as usual. We will provide timely information about ticket sales for the final concert as well as streaming of the concert here on the website and on our social media channels. An adjusted weekly overview of the event can be found on the “News Competition 2022” page.

Click here for the News page

Live Audition Season is over

The live auditions for the current 2021/22 competition have been completed. The last audition took place in Milan on December 11. In total, live auditions were held in 12 cities. The final round will take place in Gütersloh from June 26 - 30. The qualified finalists will be presented on our website and social media channels in early 2022.

HAPPY WORLD OPERA DAY!

World Opera Day is celebrated on October 25. On this day, opera houses along with artists, opera lovers and opera professionals appreciate and celebrate this art form. For this special occasion, we recorded a short video together with our NEUE STIMMEN community. You can find it on our social media channels - Instagram and Facebook. Check it out for news and insights about the ongoing competition.

Find the video here

Neue Stimmen alumni dinner in Frankfurt

Last week we had the kick-off of the Live Auditions in Frankfurt. This opportunity was used to have a small alumni meeting with our singers in Frankfurt the night before. With us were Ekin Su Paker, Marvic Monreal, Iurii Samoilov and Bianca Andrew. Jury member Brain Dickie also joined the little event. It was a great evening with lots of laughter and stories. After successful live auditions in Frankfurt, Paris and London will follow this week from the total of 12 pre-selection locations.

Follow us on Instagram

Congrats on round 2!

After an exciting application phase, in which all participants submitted two videos with their online application for the first time, we were finally thrilled to receive over 1400 applications.
Our jury now had time to review all the documents and videos and had to make the difficult decision of who to admit to the live auditions. The overall level was very high. All singers received an email at the beginning of August, for some of them with the long-awaited information: Next stop --> Live Audition!
The first one will be in Frankfurt on September 28th.

All live audition cities

Applications are closed

The application process for the 2021/22 NEUE STIMMEN competition was open until June 13. Now our jury members Brian Dickie, Sophie Joyce and Evamaria Wieser are screening and judging the submitted application videos. All singers will be informed in late summer whether they are accepted for the live auditions.

Application open till June 13

We know it has not been easy to record arias with live piano accompaniment during this time. In certain countries there have been renewed lockdowns due to the ongoing pandemic. We want to give singers in these places a chance to enter the competition and decided to postpone the deadline for applications until June 13.

How to apply?
The international singing competition NEUE STIMMEN has become one of the most famous opera competitions in the world during the last 30 years. Our care for the young singers does not stop after the award ceremony, master classes, concerts and seminars.
Liz Mohn, NEUE STIMMEN president and initiator