The semifinalists of NEUE STIMMEN in the year 2015 kneel or stand on a stage and celebrate that they were selected for the semifinal.

Three decades of NEUE STIMMEN: 42 opera talents to compete in final round

Some 1,500 young opera talents applied to participate in the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition in 2017, the year that marks the event's 30th anniversary. Over the last four months, the jury selected the 42 best contestants to compete in the final round, which will be held from October 7 to 14 in Gütersloh. That is where the up-and-coming performers will demonstrate their vocal talents and will have the chance to further develop their artistic talents.

Forty-two young opera singers from 26 countries have successfully competed in the preliminary auditions for the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition. They have been invited to participate in the event's final round, which will be held from October 7 to 14, 2017, in Gütersloh. "We have discovered young opera talents from a wide range of cultures and nations. What they share across all linguistic and cultural borders is their talent and passion for opera. The NEUE STIMMEN final round will allow them to measure themselves against each other while continuing their artistic and personal development," said Liz Mohn, president of NEUE STIMMEN and vice-chairwoman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board.

The singers traveling to North Rhine–Westphalia come from five different continents. Six performers are from German-speaking countries. The number of men and women who will participate is the same: 21 female singers and 21 male singers, with sopranos making up the vocal range with the greatest number of contestants, at 14. Below you will find an overview of all selected participants, including nationality and vocal range.

Singers will introduce themselves in videos

Opera fans and other interested parties can get to know the final-round contestants even before the event begins, since the young singers are creating video statements to introduce themselves to the public. Beginning August 23, the NEUE STIMMEN team will release one video a day on www.neue-stimmen.de until the competition begins on October 7.

The semifinals on October 12 and the finals on October 14 will be streamed live on www.neue-stimmen.de. In addition, the doors of the Gütersloh Stadthalle will open to the public on two days during the final round. Opera fans can sit in the audience during the dress rehearsals – from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 12 and 14 – watching "over the shoulders" of the up-and-coming performers as they make their final preparations for the semifinals and finals. 

NEUE STIMMEN singers at the world's best-known opera houses

NEUE STIMMEN singers often go on to successful careers, something demonstrated by the current schedules of two former prizewinners:  Nadine Sierra of the United States and Nicole Car of Australia. Both women won at the 2013 competition and are currently performing the lead roles in a new production of Puccini's La Bohème, which will premiere on September 11, opening the coming season at the Royal Opera House in London. Audiences at over 160 German cinemas will be able to see the singers perform when the production is broadcast on October 3 as part of the Royal Opera House's Live Cinema Season.

Caption to the header image: October 20, 2015, Gütersloh Stadthalle: The singers of NEUE STIMMEN 2015 celebrate their advancement to the semifinal.

List of final-round NEUE STIMMEN 2017 participants

Last NameFirst NameVocal RangeCountryYear of Birth
---AodenggerileSopranoChina1992
AndrewBiancaMezzo-sopranoNew Zealand1989
BeuchatAlexandreBaritoneSwitzerland1988
CaihuelaLuciaMezzo-sopranoSpain1989
ChenZhiyuanBass-BaritoneChina1994
ChesnokovDaniilBassRussia1989
ChoChanHeeBassSouth Korea1992
ChuluunbaatarBadralBaritoneMongolia1989
Hincapié ColoradoFiorella MariaMezzo-sopranoColombia1991
KammlerJohannesBaritoneGermany1988
KhershbergZlataMezzo-sopranoRussia1990
KöflerFlorianBassAustria1990
LeiMingjieTenorChina1988
MaqungoSiyabongaTenorSouth Africa1989
MariñoSamuelSopranoVenezuela1993
MartynEstibalizSopranoSpain1993
MkhizeMartinBaritoneSouth Africa1988
MndebeleMandlaBaritoneSouth Africa1990
MofokengEddieLyric BaritoneSouth Africa1991
NetšajevaElinaColoratura SopranoEstonia1991
NilssonChristinaSopranoSweden1990
ÖzkanDoğukanBass-BaritoneTurkey1992
QiLingSopranoChina1989
RakhmonovDamirTenorUzbekistan1989
ReuterSophie-MagdalenaSopranoGermany1992
RudykOlgaSopranoUkraine1993
SchwaigerWolfgangLyric BaritoneAustria1991
ShikhalizadeAytajMezzo-sopranoAzerbaijan1993
SkryckaNataliaMezzo-sopranoPoland1990
SmiljanićBožidarBass-BaritoneUK1989
SokolovPetrLyric BaritoneRussia1987
SteklasaJericaSopranoSlovenia1992
StoyanovaSvetlinaMezzo-sopranoBulgaria1991
TheodoridesSophiaColoratura SopranoGermany1990
TianSiyingSopranoChina1993
VasquezVanessaSopranoUSA1990
WangKangTenorAustralia1988
WangChenSopranoChina1995
WiriyasakdakulPijarinSopranoThailand1996
YilmazUğurBass-BaritoneTurkey1987
ZasimovaYuliiaLyric SopranoUkraine1992
ZwaneBongwanganiBass-BaritoneSwaziland1992