In 1985, the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Herbert von Karajan gave a concert at the Gütersloh Community Center to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Bertelsmann media group.
During the event, Karajan spoke with Liz Mohn about the lack of programs for promoting new opera talent, saying that, compared to other countries, it was difficult to find suitable young singers in Germany.
As a result, Mohn, who became a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Advisory Board in 1986, organized an international singing competition.
August Everding, general manager of the Bavarian State Theaters, played a key role by providing the specialized knowledge required to hold the event.

Organized together with the managers’ committee of the Deutscher Bühnenverein, the association representing Germany’s theaters and orchestras, the first competition took place at the Gütersloh Community Center in October 1987.
In contrast to other events designed to promote new talent, the Neue Stimmen participants performed on a large stage in a concert hall, which they had to fill vocally.
They were also accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
In conjunction with the competition, the Bertelsmann Stiftung organized a symposium at which experts debated cultural policy issues.
The symposium was also held in subsequent years.

Neue Stimmen was initially a European singing contest since only artists who trained in Europe qualified to participate.
One noteworthy aspect is that singers from Eastern Europe competed right from the start.
Beginning in the 1990s, artists from other countries also participated, for example from China, Israel, Japan, Korea and the United States.
Neue Stimmen thus took on its current international form.
The number of applicants has grown steadily through the years.
Approximately 1,500 applications are now submitted for each competition.

After events in 1987, 1988 and 1989, the organizers began holding competitions every two years.
The first master class took place in 1997 and has been held ever since in the years between the competitions.
It supports the development of particularly talented singers who have previously competed in Neue Stimmen.
In 2012, a lied master class was added, which was also held in 2013 and 2014.
The organizers want to use this event to maintain the lied as an art form.
In 1985, the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Herbert von Karajan gave a concert at the Gütersloh Community Center to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Bertelsmann media group. During the event, Karajan spoke with Liz Mohn about the lack of programs for promoting new opera talent, saying that, compared to other countries, it was difficult to find suitable young singers in Germany. As a result, Mohn, who became a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Advisory Board in 1986, organized an international singing competition. August Everding, general manager of the Bavarian State Theaters, played a key role by providing the specialized knowledge required to hold the event.
Organized together with the managers’ committee of the Deutscher Bühnenverein, the association representing Germany’s theaters and orchestras, the first competition took place at the Gütersloh Community Center in October 1987. In contrast to other events designed to promote new talent, the Neue Stimmen participants performed on a large stage in a concert hall, which they had to fill vocally. They were also accompanied by a symphony orchestra. In conjunction with the competition, the Bertelsmann Stiftung organized a symposium at which experts debated cultural policy issues. The symposium was also held in subsequent years.
Neue Stimmen was initially a European singing contest since only artists who trained in Europe qualified to participate. One noteworthy aspect is that singers from Eastern Europe competed right from the start. Beginning in the 1990s, artists from other countries also participated, for example from China, Israel, Japan, Korea and the United States. Neue Stimmen thus took on its current international form. The number of applicants has grown steadily through the years. Approximately 1,500 applications are now submitted for each competition.
After events in 1987, 1988 and 1989, the organizers began holding competitions every two years. The first master class took place in 1997 and has been held ever since in the years between the competitions. It supports the development of particularly talented singers who have previously competed in Neue Stimmen. In 2012, a lied master class was added, which was also held in 2013 and 2014. The organizers want to use this event to maintain the lied as an art form.
Neue Stimmen