Soprano wins the Bertelsmann Stiftung 12th International Singing Competition

neue-stimmen.pngG¸tersloh, October 28, 2007. Marina Rebeka (27) from Latvia has won first prize, which carries a cash award of Ä15,000, at the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 12th NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition.The soprano won over the international jury headed by Francisco AraÌza with a performance of the arias ìQual fiammaî from the opera ìI Pagliacciî by Ruggero Leoncavallo and ì» strano, Ë stranoì from Giuseppe Verdiís ìLa Traviataì. Second prize (Ä10,000) was awarded to the 21-year-old Argentinian bass Fernando Javier RadÛ, while tenor Diego Torre (27) from Mexico won third prize and Ä8,000. 1,100 young singers from 66 nations had auditioned in preliminary rounds held around the world, 47 had qualified for the final round in G¸tersloh.