The German national competition Bundeswettbewerb Gesang Berlin was inaugurated in 1966 as a competition for solo singing. Beginning in 1979, it has been held annually, for the categories Musical and Chanson in uneven years, for Opera, Operetta and concert singing in even years. The patron of the competition is the mayor of Berlin, where the competition is organized and held by the association Bundeswettbewerb Gesang Berlin.
The competition supports young singers for stages in German-speaking countries who have to display varied repertory. They have to be of German nationality and finished school in Germany. The final rounds are held in public in Berlin, where also concerts of the winners are presented in the city's music theatres. The prize money of around 50,000 Euro comes from the mayor of Berlin for the first prize in the main competition, and additionally from the Deutscher Bühnenverein, Berlin Opera houses, foundations and private sponsors for the other prizes.
Among the recipients were: [1]
Among the recipients were: [2]
Georg Katzer was a German composer and teacher. The last master student of Hanns Eisler, he composed music in many genres, including works for the stage. Katzer was one of the pioneers of electronic new music in the German Democratic Republic and the founder of the first electronic-music studio in the GDR. He held leading positions in music organisations, first in the East, then in the united Germany, and received many awards, including the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic, the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German Music Authors' Prize.
The Grimme-Preis is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme. It has been referred to in Kino magazine as the "German TV Oscar".
Maria Friderike Radner was a German contralto who performed internationally in opera and in concerts. She studied at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. She was described as an "extremely talented interpreter of Wagner's music" by Stern magazine and Abendzeitung. Possessing the "rare pitch of a true alto", she frequently appeared as Erda in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Leipzig Opera, Schwertleite in Die Walküre at the Teatro Comunale di Firenze with Zubin Mehta, and in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) conducted by Antonio Pappano in Rome and Milan. Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2012 in Götterdämmerung was part of that company's documentary Wagner's Dream.
Iris Vermillion is a German operatic mezzo-soprano. A member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1988, she has enjoyed an international career, appearing in Amsterdam with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and at the Salzburg Festival, among others.
Claudia Mahnke is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, a member of the Oper Frankfurt, with guest appearances at leading opera houses and the Bayreuth Festival.
Lioba Braun is a German opera singer and academic teacher at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. Based at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, she has appeared mostly in mezzo-soprano parts at major opera houses and festivals. She became internationally known appearing as Brangäne at the Bayreuth Festival in 1994, and performed the soprano part of Isolde on stage first in 2012.
Caroline Stein is a German operatic coloratura soprano and an academic voice teacher. She has appeared internationally, including contemporary opera, creating the Angel in Dusapin's Faustus, the Last Night at the Berlin State Opera.
Hanno Müller-Brachmann is a German bass-baritone who made an international career in both opera and concert. A member of the Berlin State Opera from 1998 to 2011, he first sang Mozart roles such as Papageno and Figaro, and created roles in premieres such as Mephistopheles in Dusapin's Faustus, the Last Night in 2006.
Christina Gerstberger is a German operatic soprano. The award-winning singer has worked freelance and as a member of theatres such as the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, often in roles by Mozart such as Susanna. She has performed at international festivals such as the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, and in concert and recordings.
Daniel Behle is a German classical composer and operatic tenor. He has performed at international opera houses and festivals, and has recorded both operas and Lieder recitals.
Albert Dohmen is a German operatic bass-baritone who is known internationally for performing leading roles by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He has also worked in concert halls and given lieder recitals.
Ute Vinzing is a German dramatic soprano who received the title Kammersängerin. She is known for roles such as Wagner's Brünnhilde, Isolde, Ortrud and Kundry, and for Elektra and the Dyer's Wife by Richard Strauss, which she performed at international stages.
Sebastian Wartig is a German operatic and concert baritone.
Georg Gädker is a German operatic and concert baritone.
Björn Bürger is a German operatic baritone. The winner of the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang Berlin in 2012, he was a member of Oper Frankfurt from 2013 to 2018, where he performed roles such as the title role in the 2017 world premiere of Arnulf Herrmann's Der Mieter. He has appeared in Europe, including as Rossini's Figaro, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, and Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, at the Glyndebourne Festival. He has been a member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart from 2019.
Detlef Roth is a German operatic bass-baritone.
Michaela Kaune is a German operatic soprano.
Andreas Kohn is a German operatic bass and Dozent.
Nadja Stefanoff is a German operatic soprano based at the Staatstheater Mainz. She began her career as a mezzo-soprano. She has performed leading roles there and as a guest at major opera houses in Europe, such as Marta in Weinberg's Die Passagierin at the Oper Graz, and Giordano's Fedora at the Oper Frankfurt.
Magdalena Hinterdobler is a German operatic soprano, based at the Oper Frankfurt, where she has performed leading roles including Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Elisabetta in Verdi's Don Carlo and Grete in Zemlinsky's Der Traumgörge. She appeared as Anna in the world premiere of Gerd Kühr's Paradiese at the Leipzig Opera in 2021, and as Chrysothemis in Elektra by Richard Strauss at the Tyrolean State Theatre in 2023.