Carl Bertelsmann Prize: Corporate Culture of Partnership

The second Carl Bertelsmann Prize is awarded to Herman Miller Inc., an American furniture manufacturer, and Volvo, the Swedish auto manufacturer. With more than 700 representatives of business, politics, science and the media in attendance at the Gütersloh City Hall, certificates are given to the companies’ chairmen, Richard H. Ruch and Dr. Pehr G. Gyllenhammar. In his keynote speech, Reinhard Mohn cites Volvo’s and Herman Miller’s many years of successfully promoting a corporate culture based on the spirit of partnership. Fulfilling all the key requirements for this kind of corporate culture, they have set an excellent example for others to follow.


3rd NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Contest

The success of the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Contest in 1989 demonstrates that the competition has become a recognized event in the world of international opera. More than 140 singers apply for the competition, with sopranos alone accounting for 80 of them. For the first time, a preliminary round is necessary for this voice category, which is held in Munich in September.

For the final competition, which now lasts three days, 64 young opera singers from 21 countries travel to Gütersloh to participate. The number of participating directors, agents and music critics has also steadily increased, corroborating the event's growing recognition among experts in the field. For the third time, first prize goes to a young woman, in this case Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova. René Pape, bass, of the German Democratic Republic, takes second place, while tenor Bernard Lombardo of France receives the third prize.

As in previous years, the singing competition closes with a symposium. This year, the topic is "Opportunities for up-and-coming singers – How modern media and the developing European cultural sphere influence their careers." In the discussion, again led by Prof. August Everding, the sad state of training for opera singers in the Federal Republic of Germany comes to the fore. The panelists are Kammersängerin Lucia Popp, Günter Hensler (president of Bertelsmann Music Group Classics, New York), Dr. Gustav Kuhn (director of the Rome Opera House) and Gérard Mortier (director of the Royal Theater in Brussels).


Koteret Journalism School: Journalism training in Israel

In 1989, the Bertelsmann Stiftung declares its intent to support the construction and operation of a journalism school in Tel Aviv. In December, the Israeli Institute of Journalism and Communication is founded as the sponsor of such a school. The Koteret School of Journalism and Communications officially opens its doors in Tel Aviv on March 21, 1991, becoming the only professional school of its kind in Israel. The school offers two courses of study: an academic discipline in combination with field-specific journalism training, and journalism training after completion of a university degree.