Final round of NEUE STIMMEN kicks off in Gütersloh

The final round of the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition starts in Gütersloh today. The singers have gathered for an initial group photo. "You can immediately feel that music, as a universal language, connects people from different backgrounds and cultures. It doesn't matter from which part of the world these young talents have traveled to Gütersloh," says Liz Mohn (center). The competition's founder and chairwoman of the Liz Mohn Foundation welcomed the young talents upon their arrival in Gütersloh on Sunday afternoon. 

On Monday and Tuesday, the singers will perform for the jury during auditions. The artists who make it to the semifinals will then compete in the Stadthalle on Wednesday, October 9, for a spot in the final round. The winners of NEUE STIMMEN 2024 will be chosen at the final concert on Friday, October 11, 2024.

As part of the NEUE STIMMEN "Creating Careers" initiative, this year's finalists will once again have the opportunity to participate in workshops during the final round week, covering topics such as resilience, public relations, and self-marketing. In addition, the jury will offer individual feedback and consultation sessions for the participants.

As with previous competitions, both the semifinal (with piano accompaniment) and the final can be viewed via livestream. The semifinal will be available on the website www.neue-stimmen.de. The final will be broadcast live on the opera streaming platform OperaVision (https://operavision.eu/).

Those who can't attend live can tune in to Deutschlandradio on October 20 at 08:05 p.m. or watch a recording later on YouTube. Social media users can also gain numerous impressions of the talents and behind the scenes moments via the NEUE STIMMEN Instagram channel (@neuestimmen). 

For those interested in exploring new dimensions of opera, a mixed-reality opera experience will be available on Friday. During the public dress rehearsal between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., a Virtual Reality Lounge will be set up in the Stadthalle foyer, offering 360-degree video recordings of digital operas using VR glasses. Selected NEUE STIMMEN singers were able to create these last year in workshop at the Staatstheater Augsburg – the leading theater in terms of digital music theater – and learn how this new type of opera is produced.

If you would like to experience the competition live in the Gütersloh Stadthalle, you still have a chance: the semifinal will take place on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Tickets cost 12 euros (concessions: 6.50 euros). The final starts on Friday at 7 p.m. Last seats are still available for 39.50 euros per person (concessions 20.25 euros) at Gütersloh Marketing or www.stadthalle-gt.de.

Ines Koring
Phone: +49 5241 2133-372
E-Mail: koring@liz-mohn-stiftung.de