The singers are:
Besim Mazhiqi
16 young singers advance to the NEUE STIMMEN semifinals
The 16 semifinalists for the 2017 NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition have now been chosen. Of the 39 young talents who arrived in Gütersloh on Sunday to participate in the final round, 8 female singers and 8 male singers from 12 countries will compete in the semifinals this Thursday.
List of the NEUE STIMMEN 2017 semifinalists
| Last Name | First Name | Vocal Range | Country | Year of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chen | Zhiyuan | Bass-baritone | China | 1994 |
| Cho | ChanHee | Bass | South Korea | 1992 |
| D'Angelo | Emily | Mezzo-soprano | Canada | 1994 |
| Kammler | Johannes | Baritone | Germany | 1988 |
| Khershberg | Zlata | Mezzo-soprano | Russia | 1990 |
| Lei | Mingjie | Tenor | China | 1988 |
| Mariño | Samuel | Soprano | Venezuela | 1993 |
| Mkhize | Martin | Baritone | South Africa | 1988 |
| Nilsson | Christina | Soprano | Sweden | 1990 |
| Qi | Ling | Soprano | China | 1989 |
| Reuter | Sophie-Magdalena | Soprano | Germany | 1992 |
| Rudyk | Olga | Soprano | Ukraine | 1993 |
| Skrycka | Natalia | Mezzo-soprano | Poland | 1990 |
| Smiljanić | Božidar | Bass-baritone | UK | 1989 |
| Sokolov | Petr | Lyric baritone | Russia | 1987 |
| Stoyanova | Svetlina | Mezzo-soprano | Bulgaria | 1991 |
The vice-chairwoman of our Executive Board and president of NEUE STIMMEN, Liz Mohn, is delighted at the success of the up-and-coming talents. "I can sense that these young people are pursuing their dreams with joy, ambition and elan. They would like to – and are able to – thrill audiences at the world's leading opera houses. That is why I sincerely wish all the semifinalists much success," Mohn said. "I would also like to say to those who did not advance to the next round that they are already among the best. They were chosen from over 1,400 contestants from 76 nations and they now have the chance to launch successful careers as opera singers."
The competition's final round began last Sunday, October 8, with the singers participating in piano rehearsals. On Monday and Tuesday, the young performers sang for the international jury led by Dominique Meyer, director of the Vienna State Opera.
Dress rehearsals with Duisburg Philharmonic open to public
On Friday, October 13, NEUE STIMMEN will be offering all contestants who did not qualify for the semifinals a seminar and individual coaching sessions on career planning in order to help them develop their personal career goals. The seminar will be led by artist manager Zenaida des Aubris. Georgian soprano Sophie Gordeladze and German baritone Roman Trekel, both internationally successful opera singers and former competition participants, will also be present for the seminar. This year's young talents will have the opportunity to interact with both NEUE STIMMEN mentors, making it possible to discuss career goals and career planning and share personal experiences.
As in past competitions, the Duisburg Philharmonic under the direction of Graeme Jenkins will accompany singers during the semifinals concert on Thursday, October 12, and the finals concert on Saturday, October 14. NEUE STIMMEN is one of the few singing competitions worldwide whose semifinals are also accompanied by an orchestra.
The dress rehearsals for the semifinals und finals are open to the public, and will take place on Thursday, October 12, and Saturday, October 14, from 11 am to 2 pm in the Gütersloh Stadthalle. The semifinals on October 12 and the finals on October 14 will both be streamed live from 7 pm to approx. 10:30 pm on www.neue-stimmen.de, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/NeueStimmenSC and on www.medici.tv.
