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 next competition will take place from February 6 to 10, 2019. Tickets will be available from 4 December. More information at www.das-lied.com.

Soprano: Carolyn Beaudoin, Sophia Burgos, Iuno Connolly, Axelle Fanyo, Sarah Forestieri, Elena Harsányi, Annelies van Hijfte, Nikola Hillebrand, Sarah Kollé, Tania Lorenzo, Raphaela Marion Papadakis, Joanna Songi

Mezzo soprano: Grace Durham, Rosina Fabius, Anna Harvey, Florence Losseau, Felicity Turner, Yajie Zhang

Alto: Jessica Dandy

Tenor: Luca Bernard, Remy Burnens, Stefan Kennedy, Sasche Emanuel Kramer, Ricardo Marinello, Nikolaus Pfannkuch

Bass/Baritone: Andre Baleiro, Konstantin Ingenpaß, Konstantin Krimmel, Lawrence Halksworth, Jeeyoung Lim, Michael Rakotoarivony

Learn more about the singers and pianists »