Starting signal for the entry phase

From April 4 until the end of June, talented young soloists can apply for one of the coveted places in the DEBUT competition week.

2024 is DEBUT year again: for the organizers and applicants alike – typically between 400 and 500 – this means eager anticipation of the highly regarded classical singing competition, which has already produced a number of international talents. The week from September 23 to 28 represents a renewed chance to discover more opera stars of tomorrow – whether during the selection rounds, which are open to the public at no cost, at the lieder recital or, first and foremost of course, at the gala concert where the winner of the Gold Victoria will be chosen. Weikersheim Castle, the Deutschordensschloss (Castle of the Teutonic Order) in Bad Mergentheim and the TauberPhilharmonie in Weikersheim will once again be the venues.

Friendly atmosphere of healthy competitive pressure

DEBUT audiences don’t come along expecting to see a cut-and-thrust contest of young talent. In spite of the worldwide reputation it enjoys, the competition continues to be known for the familiar atmosphere that prevails there. Free board and lodging, their own rehearsal rooms and accompanists – the young soloists in the soprano, mezzo-soprano & alto, tenor, countertenor and baritone & bass categories have everything they need at their disposal.

Furthermore, these soloists will once again have an opportunity to demonstrate the full breadth of their talent at DEBUT 2024. The Ukrainian composer Adrian Mocanu has written a contemporary lieder especially for the competition, to be sung by all participants from the semifinals onwards. Two lieder prizes will be awarded during the public DEBUT lieder recital – for the best performance of a “German Lied / Lieder from Eastern Europe and the Baltic States” as well as the best performance of a “Contemporary lieder”.

Constancy is an equally important factor when it comes to the judging panel, on which some members have meanwhile gladly served over a period of many years. This year’s judging panel will be comprised as follows:

• Paul McNamara (Chairman), Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera Academy
• Boris Ignatov, Casting Director, Stuttgart State Opera
• Bernd Loebe, Intendant Oper Frankfurt
• Professor Stephan Mösch, Music and Theater Scientist
• Rebekah Rota, Intendant Wuppertal Opera
• Marek Rzepka, Bass
• Susanne Schmidt, Casting Director Opera Vlaanderen
• Evamaria Wieser, Casting Director, Salzburg Festival

Clarry Bartha, Artistic Director of DEBUT since 2016, is proud of the reconstituted judging panel: “Once again, eminent personalities from the classical music scene will support the young soloists with their enormous wealth of experience. They will not only be there to assess their opera singing abilities but also to act as mentors.”

Professor Michael Junker, Supervisory Board Chairman of principal sponsor WITTENSTEIN SE, has accepted the invitation to become patron of the 12th DEBUT Classical Singing Competition.

Packed calendar for the anniversary season

The DEBUT 2024 season will kick off with a matinée at the Great Kursaal in Bad Mergentheim on September 15. An open round table discussion under the motto “The voice as the most human of all art forms in the context of our time” will be held with guests including Bernd Loebe (Intendant Oper Frankfurt), Enrico Calesso (Music Director at the Main-Franconia Theater as well as at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste), Uwe Friedrich (journalist), Bernd Künzig (opera editor for SWR2 radio), Paul McNamara (tenor and Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera Academy) and Adrian Mocanu (composer).

The regular competition week will take place from September 23 to 28, when numerous talented newcomers from all over the world will make their way to the Tauber Valley in the late summer. Both the qualifying rounds and the semifinals will once again be open to interested members of the public at no cost.

It is an established tradition that six young opera singers will also be nominated by the judging panel for the lieder recital on September 26 at the TauberPhilharmonie in Weikersheim, where they will compete for the two lieder prizes “German Lied / Lieder from Eastern Europe and the Baltic States” and “Contemporary lied”.

The competition week will end with a gala concert given by the finalists and hosted by Professor Ulrich Konrad on September 28, also at the TauberPhilharmonie in Weikersheim. The same evening, the judging panel will select the winners of the Gold Victoria worth 10,000 euros as well as several other cash and engagement prizes. The gala concert will be accompanied by the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gábor Hontvári. For more information on the competition, go to www.debut.de.

Bilder: 

01-debut-schirmherr-michael-junker: Professor Michael Junker, Chairman of the WITTENSTEIN SE Supervisory Board, will act as patron of DEBUT 2024.

02-debut-kuenstlerische-leitung-clarry-bartha: Clarry Bartha has been Artistic Director of the DEBUT Classical Singing Competition since 2016.

03-debut-key-visual