Trude Eipperle Rieger Foundation

The Trude Eipperle Rieger-Foundation was established in Aalen-Unterkochen on 18 July 1975. The Foundation pursues exclusively non-profit-making and charitable activities for

  • The promotion of education and the fine arts
  • The promotion of science and scholarship
  • Cultural facilities and institutions in the Unterkochen district
  • The support of Children's Villages
  • Donations to other non-profit-making facilities and institutions that pursue objectives similar to those of the Foundation

Those individuals and/or facilities/institutions supported by the Foundation are selected on a sustainable basis in accordance with the objectives of the foundation in such a way that the Foundation's sponsorship funds are appropriately applied every year. A pre-eminent object of the foundation is the valuable sponsorship prize annually by the "Schloss Kapfenburg International Music Academy", in the local Trude Eipperle Rieger-concert hall, awarded and highly regarded

The chairman of the family-oriented foundation board is Dr. Hansjörg Rieger
The chairman of the family-oriented advisory board is Dr. Jörg S. Rieger

The idea of the Trude Eipperle Rieger-Foundation, that modern companies are nowadays also judged on the fulfilment of their social responsibilities and by the degree of their social commitment being all part of the original corporate identity like when our family business was founded, and has been actively practiced ever since. Supporting the arts and culture has always been and still is an interest shared by all our employees. This dates back to a time when access to cultural events and activities was neither taken for granted nor even possible for all. Our family business has always fulfilled its corporate responsibility for supporting cultural activities, not only by fostering its employee's own initiatives but also, and in particular, by preserving the artistic legacy of one of our great artistes, with whom we are personally connected.

The name, Trude Eipperle-Rieger is not only closely connected with the remembrance of major highlights in German and international singing history, but also with our commitment to incorporating this role model of artistic excellence in our own entrepreneurial activities. Our family company's connection is also continuingly demonstrated by the Trude Eipperle Rieger-Foundation. After all, this artist was the wife of Ernst Rieger, the owner and for many years managing director of our company, and she has entrusted us with the maintenance of her artistic legacy, and the administration of her foundation and the fulfilment of its objectives.

The Trude Eipperle Rieger Foundation bears the name of the great, unforgettable German bel canto singer. She was born in Stuttgart on 27 January1908. After studying singing at the Stuttgart Academy of Music and a period of training at the Stuttgart State Opera, her meteoric stage career began in 1929 at the Wiesbaden State Theatre.

This was followed by engagements in Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Cologne and Munich during the 1930s and 40s. As from 1951, she was permanently engaged by the Stuttgart State Opera as a Baden-Württemberg Kammersängerin (a title conferred on a singer of outstanding merit).

She also gave many, highly acclaimed guest performances in Vienna, London, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Lisbon and Brussels. Especially at the "Green Hill" in Bayreuth and at the Salzburg Music Festivals, she was regarded as the ideal personification of the lyrical soprano.She performed with the greatest composers, conductors, singers and musicians of her time, including such stars as Clemens Krauss, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, Alfons Fügel, Julius Patzak, Fritz Wunderlich, Wolfgang Windgassen and Mario del Monaco.

Leading music publishers have recently reissued some of her outstanding performances in her classical roles on new CD editions. Trude Eipperle Rieger retired from the stage in 1965. Until her death on 18 October 1997, she lived as the wife of Ernst Rieger's, RUD's managing director, on the Friedensinsel (Island of Peace) at our RUD Headquarters in Aalen-Unterkochen.

The folowing artists was awarded:

  • 2014 ... Nathalie Mittelbach und Ronan Collett
  • 2013 ... Mirella Hagen
  • 2012 ... Mirella Hagen
  • 2011 ... Kateryna Kasper
  • 2010 ... Sophie Klußmann und Eugene Chan
  • 2009 ... Aurelius Sängerknaben Calw
  • 2008 ... Calmus Ensemble Leipzig
  • 2007 ... Junger Kammerchor Ostwürttemberg
  • 2006 ... Frankziska Schernstein
  • 2005 ... Barbara Grabowski und Marko Spehar