The Richard Wagner Association Bayreuth e.V. will present the International Competition for Wagner Voices for the first time in 2026. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Bayreuth Festival, a new, groundbreaking singing competition will be established at the historic venue of the festival. In cooperation with the Bayreuth Festival, the competition offers young singers who are at the beginning of their stage careers and were born after 1 January 1991 an important platform to showcase their skills in the field of Wagner singing.
Competition schedule
Preliminary selection: 5–6 August 2026
Semi-final: Public concert on 8 August 2026
Final: Public concert on 11 August 2026 in the Great Hall of the Friedrichsforum, musical director: Axel Kober, with members of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
The Richard Wagner Association Bayreuth e.V. would like to thank the individuals and institutions that make this competition possible:
Georg von Waldenfels, Chairman of the Society of Friends of Bayreuth e.V.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Michael Schneider, Richard Wagner Association Karlsruhe e.V.
Alessandra Althoff Pugliese, Richard Wagner Association Venice
The boards of the Ritter Foundation and the Zajadacz Foundation
Details on how to apply, conditions of participation and tickets for public events can be found at: https://www.wagner-stimmen.de/en/bewerbung and https://www.wagner-stimmen.de/en/tickets