"Last fall, these young singers came to Gütersloh for the competition from all over the world – the US, Russia, Moldova and South Korea. Each and every one of them had big dreams. And in the finals, all their hard work and discipline were finally rewarded and they fulfilled their dream of winning the NEUE STIMMEN competition. However, that also means that they are acting as ambassadors for their respective countries," said Liz Mohn, addressing numerous guests from the world of classical music, politics and society, at the prize winners' concert. Among the many jury members was Dominique Meyer, Director of the Vienna State Opera. Also attending was jazz trumpeter Till Brönner, who praised the support of talent that Bertelsmann Stiftung provides.
Accompanied on the piano by Prof. Manuel Lange, the four prize winners of the 2013 competition – Nadine Sierra (USA), Kristina Mkhitaryan (Russia), Myong-Hyun Lee (South Korea) and Oleg Tibulco (Moldova) – sang arias and songs by Richard Strauss, Peter Tchaikovsky, Charles Gounod, Vincenzo Bellini and Johannes Brahms. The evening ended with an impressive performance by all four singers of Franz Lehár's "Lippen schweigen." Journalist and TV moderator Prof. Dr. Holger Noltze hosted the event.
In addition to being an extension of the NEUE STIMMEN project, the prize winners' concert is the second event in a new, annual series taking place in Berlin. The winners of the previous year's competition perform here during the spring of the following year. This concert gives the prize winners the opportunity to present themselves once more to a professional audience and in doing so, to network for their future careers. "Supporting these young people in their careers is something very close to my heart," said Liz Mohn.
