( Photo Credit: © Besim Mazhiqi)

Eight young singers have advanced to the final of the Liz Mohn Foundation’s NEUE STIMMEN 2026 International Singing Competition, which will take place Friday, Oct. 9, at the Stadthalle Gütersloh.

The finalists include sopranos Aigerim Altynbek of Kazakhstan, Ziyi Dai of China, Arpi Sinanyan of Armenia, and Liere Wu of China; tenors Yiming Liu of China and Rafael Rojas of Mexico; bass baritone Irakli Pkhaladze of Georgia; and baritone Jiazhou Wang of China.

A jury chaired by Alexander Neef, director of the Opéra national de Paris, selected them from 16 semifinalists.

The finalists will perform at 7 p.m. with the Duisburg Philharmonic under conductor Vitali Alekseenok. The concert will be streamed live on OperaVision, and a recording will be available afterward.

The Junior Jury Award, worth €1,000, went to Wang. The panel consists of nine young people between the ages of 16 and 18. The €5,000 Brian Dickie Young Talent Award went to Swedish mezzo soprano Klara Solén. The Patagonia Voice Award, which includes an appearance at Teatro del Lago in Chile, went to Rojas.

“The final is a special moment for these young singers on their path to a professional career. A dream is coming true for them: They will take the stage with a major orchestra and perform for an international audience. I hope they enjoy this special moment, believe in themselves, and move people with their voices and personalities,” Mohn, President of the competition and Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Liz Mohn Foundation, said, per an official press release.

Founded by Liz Mohn in 1987, NEUE STIMMEN has supported artists including Christiane Karg, Nathalie Stutzmann, Marina Rebeka, Michael Volle, René Pape, Franco Fagioli, Nadine Sierra, Nicole Car, Pene Pati and Elsa Dreisig.