Only one of the Neue Stimmen is German
mainThe winners of the ‘new voices’ Bertlesmann international singing competition were announced last night.
They are:
Women:
1st prize, €15,000: Svetlina Stoyanova, Mezzo-Soprano (Bulgaria, born in 1991)
2nd prize, €10,000: Emily D’Angelo, Mezzo-Soprano (Canada, born in 1994)
3rd prize, €5,000: Zlata Khershberg, Mezzo-Soprano (Russia, born 1990)
Men:
1st prize, €15,000: Cho ChanHee, Bass (South Korea, born in 1992)
2nd prize, €10,000: Johannes Kammler, Baritone (Germany, born in 1988)
3rd prize, €5,000: Mingjie Lei, Tenor (China, born in 1988)
Neue Stimmen was once a springboard for such careers as Christiane Karg, Nathalie Stutzmann, Marina Rebeka, Michael Volle and René Pape.
And who is German among them? Johannes Kammler is from Salzburg, Austria.
Completely wrong. He is from Augsburg, Germany.
But then, ladies and gentlemen, who cares?
Who cares where a singer comes from? Does it matter in any way when you close your eyes and listen to their music?
Also, Augsburg and Salzburg are pretty much in the same region, culturally.
Well said, Anon. We care how they sing and how their voices sound.
More to the point, he is a wonderful, intelligent singer. Congratulations Johannes!
Is there some reason Germans are supposed to win this contest? Or is it just a case of moaning similar to when a non-Pole wins the Chopin, or a non-Russian wins the Tchaikovsky?
No reason at all IMHO, but it appears that the blogowner believes that humans are defined first and foremost by nationality, gender, and race.
It’s the virus of nationalism, that also has befallen the blog owner. He thinks it’s relevant.
Emily D’Angelo joins the ranks of fine Canadian artists. We are not all “lumberjacks and I don’t care”.