This year the final-round participants come from 30 countries. The largest group is from Russia, with five singers, followed by China and South Africa, with four singers each. The next largest contingents are from South Korea, Georgia, Mexico, Japan, Ukraine and Germany, with two singers each. That means 22 women and 24 men will participate in the final week of the 16th NEUE STIMMEN competition, representing all vocal ranges. A total of €60,000 in prize money will be awarded to the top three male and female singers. The youngest competitor, a soprano from China, is 20 years old; the oldest, a bass from Argentina, is 30 years old. More information on the participants is available at www.neue-stimmen.de.
The Duisburg Philharmonic, under the direction of Graeme Jenkins, will accompany the semifinals and finals. Dress rehearsals for the two events will take place on Thursday, October 22, and Saturday, October 24, from 11 am to 2 pm. The dress rehearsals are open to the public. Up to 18 singers will perform during the semifinals, which will be hosted by journalist and television personality Holger Noltze. Tickets for the semifinals (October 22 / €22.70) are available from the Service Center at Gütersloh Marketing GmbH and online at www.stadthalle-gt.de and www.eventim.de. Tickets for the finals are no longer available. Both the semifinals and finals will take place at the Stadthalle Gütersloh and will be streamed live online.
Increased commitment to young singers
In keeping with the motto "Creating Careers," the Bertelsmann Stiftung will be increasing its commitment to the young singers through three steps: discovering, promoting and supporting. The international competition makes it possible to discover up-and-coming talent. Individual coaching by opera-world professionals supports young performers as they focus on their career and making a name for themselves. Assistance is ensured over the long term through ongoing support and feedback. Just as importantly, a closely knit network of opera house managers, event organizers, agents, instructors and finalists allows key players from the world of opera to enter into dialogue with each other.
The young talents are also supported through appearances at concerts and other events. In a first-time partnership with the Ruhrtriennale arts festival, three NEUE STIMMEN artists (Dara Savinova, Tim Lawrence and Fiorella Hincapié) will benefit from participating in the festival’s Campustriennale series. In addition, Jurgita Adamonytė, a NEUE STIMMEN prizewinner from 2005, will be singing the role of Flosshilde in the Ruhrtriennale’s production of Das Rheingold, which will premiere on September 12.
Concert appearances by young talents
Two participants in the 2009 NEUE STIMMEN competition – first-prize winner Eunju Kwon (soprano, member of the ensemble at Nationaltheater Mannheim) and finalist Iurii Samoilov (baritone, member of the ensemble at Frankfurt Opera) – will sing arias and duets on September 4 in Halle (Westphalia) at this year’s summer concert organized by the state of North Rhine–Westphalia. They will be accompanied by the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonic under the direction of Frank Beermann.
In addition, four up-and-coming singers will perform on December 10 at the invitation of the German Embassy in Washington, DC. The event will be hosted by Renée Fleming.
NEUE STIMMEN singers will appear again this year on the television program Stars von Morgen (Stars of Tomorrow), which is produced by broadcasters ZDF and arte and hosted by Rolando Villazón. The program is currently scheduled for broadcast in December.