International Song Competition »Das Lied«

Thomas Quasthoff, Chairman of the Jury

Lieder are stories in the smallest musical form. They are parables about what it means to be a human being, with all its hurdles and wonders. These stories have to be told. As »mirrors of their time« Lieder negotiate the great universal themes of humanity: happiness and pain, love and loss, hope and grief. Great Lied singers of our time open up the timeless potential of the Lied for us and make it immediately perceptible. Brigitte Fassbaender, Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christian Gerhaher, Thomas Hampson and Thomas Quasthoff were and are such exceptional artists.

The aim of the International Song Competition »Das Lied« – launched in 2009 by Thomas Quasthoff – is to discover and promote great Lied singers of the young generation. In addition to the prize money, the prizewinners will be given concerts in internationally renowned concert halls and festivals such as Oxford Lieder, Wigmore Hall and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

Previously based in Berlin, the competition has been held every two years since 2017 in City of Lied: Heidelberg. This gives the Liedzentrum Heidelberg an international platform for young singers. And it offers an opportunity for audiences, organizers, festivals and agencies to discover the voices of tomorrow in Heidelberg.

The competition, which had been postponed to May 25-29, 2021, has to be canceled entirely due to the pandemic. Against the background of the current developments, we cannot guarantee the fairness of the competition and a safe environment for the participants, who come from all over the world. More information