PLEASE CHECK BACK IN AUGUST 2022 FOR FURTHER EDITIONS OF THIS PROGRAM.
TARA ERRAUGHT
(Metropolitan Opera, Irish National Opera, Wiener Staatsoper,
Staatsoper Berlin unter den Linden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Welsh National Opera, Schubertiade, Hamburg Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien,
Washington National Opera, Glyndebourne)
JANET WILLIAMS
(Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Paris Opera, Frankfurt Opera,
Cologne Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, Dallas Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre)
CHUCK HUDSON
(Cape Town Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and San Francisco Opera Merola Program, Santa Fe Opera, AVA Opera Theater, BU Opera Institute,
USC-Thornton Opera, Carnegie-Mellon, Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Cincinnati Conservatory, Indiana University Opera Theatre,
Music Academy of the West.)
SUSANNA STRANDERS
(Royal Opera House, Garsington Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne, Salzburg Festival, New York City Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, San Francisco Opera, Guildhall School of Music & Drama)
STEPHAN REINEKE
(TACT International Art Management)
JULIE WYMA
Opera Programs Berlin, Co-Founder & Executive Director
(Berlin Wagner Gruppe, Irrational Entertainment, Voci Inglesi, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera North, Dicapo Opera, Opera By Request, Choriner Opernsommer, Berliner Philharmonie, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Opera Classica Europa, Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde)
ANASTASIA INNISS
Opera Programs Berlin, Co-Founder & Artistic Director
(Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin Wagner Gruppe, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Central Florida Lyric Opera, New London Opera Players, Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde)
(Metropolitan Opera, Irish National Opera, Wiener Staatsoper,
Staatsoper Berlin unter den Linden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Welsh National Opera, Schubertiade, Hamburg Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien,
Washington National Opera, Glyndebourne)
JANET WILLIAMS
(Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Paris Opera, Frankfurt Opera,
Cologne Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, Dallas Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre)
CHUCK HUDSON
(Cape Town Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and San Francisco Opera Merola Program, Santa Fe Opera, AVA Opera Theater, BU Opera Institute,
USC-Thornton Opera, Carnegie-Mellon, Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Cincinnati Conservatory, Indiana University Opera Theatre,
Music Academy of the West.)
SUSANNA STRANDERS
(Royal Opera House, Garsington Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne, Salzburg Festival, New York City Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, San Francisco Opera, Guildhall School of Music & Drama)
STEPHAN REINEKE
(TACT International Art Management)
JULIE WYMA
Opera Programs Berlin, Co-Founder & Executive Director
(Berlin Wagner Gruppe, Irrational Entertainment, Voci Inglesi, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera North, Dicapo Opera, Opera By Request, Choriner Opernsommer, Berliner Philharmonie, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Opera Classica Europa, Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde)
ANASTASIA INNISS
Opera Programs Berlin, Co-Founder & Artistic Director
(Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin Wagner Gruppe, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Central Florida Lyric Opera, New London Opera Players, Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde)
JULIE WYMA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ANASTASIA INNISS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ANASTASIA INNISS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
You’ve landed the audition… now what?
Making sure you stand out in an audition is one of the most important skills a singer can have. Our team will walk you through the process of polishing your audition presentation to the level expected at opera houses both in Europe and North America. Topics include:
The program includes:
- audition materials
- role and aria preparation
- character development
- audition skills
- what agents and theaters look for in an audition
- how you fit into the market
The program includes:
- one group workshop session with
- director Chuck Hudson on Role and Aria Preparation
- singer Tara Erraught on Audition Success
- singer & educator Janet Williams on Nailing Your Next Audition
- pianist & conductor Susanna Stranders on Conductor's Point of View - What One Looks for in an Audition
- singers Julie Wyma & Anastasia Nikolov on Building your Audition Materials & Online Presence
- agent Stephan Reineke on The Structure of the German Market & Casting for It.
- one 30-minute individual coaching with Chuck Hudson
- one 30-minute individual coaching with Janet Williams
SCHEDULE
All sessions held on:
All group sessions will be recorded and available to all participants after their broadcast.
TUITION & REGISTRATION:
Registration for this program is closed.
Please continue to check our websites for upcoming programs, including our 2022-2023 season announcement! |
|
FACULTY
JANET WILLIAMS
American soprano Janet Williams is uniquely qualified to teach singers and coach performers, having won international critical acclaim for performances in leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Paris Opera, Opera de Lyon, Nice Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Geneva Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Cologne Opera, Leipzig Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, Dallas Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. Her repertoire covers the epochs from Baroque to Contemporary and she has performed over 40 leading roles in the lyric – coloratura repertoire. Janet enjoys equal success on the world’s concert stages with renowned conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Raymond Leppard, Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, Sir Neville Marriner, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Gerald Schwarz, Patrick Summers and Michael Tilson Thomas. Her recordings and television appearances are numerous and she was a featured performer in the Oscar-winning documentary film In the Shadow of the Stars.
“Irrepressible’ is a word that hardly does her justice. Her first act entrance … floating a high pure phrase across the house, had that charge of electricity that immediately rivets attention, and her famous ballroom aria Mein Herr Marquis was delightfully saucy.” – The New York Post on Janet Williams’ Metropolitan Opera debut.
Janet’s performing and teaching career spans over 30 years. She earned Bachelor degrees in both Music Education and Vocal Performance from Michigan State University and a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, where she was Assistant Instructor under Professor Camilla Williams. Upon graduation, she was a part of the distinguished Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera Center.
Janet has taught master classes across the United States and at vocal programs in London, Paris, Berlin, Essen, Utrecht, Ísafjörður and Reykjavik. She is currently an Honorary Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and Instructor at the Lotte Lehmann Academy in Germany, where she teaches a popular Performance Mastery Workshop. She regularly serves as jury member of various international voice competitions and audition panels at both the university and professional level. In 2011, Janet founded The Leistung und Performance Vocal Akademie Berlin, where she hosts masterclasses with renowned singers, conductors, stage directors and actors and offers a variety of performance experience and workshops for young singers beginning a career. Her book, Nail Your Next Audition, the Ultimate 30-Day Guide for Singers, offers a step-by-step instruction manual to enhance the way singers approach the audition process.
American soprano Janet Williams is uniquely qualified to teach singers and coach performers, having won international critical acclaim for performances in leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Paris Opera, Opera de Lyon, Nice Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Geneva Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Cologne Opera, Leipzig Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, Dallas Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. Her repertoire covers the epochs from Baroque to Contemporary and she has performed over 40 leading roles in the lyric – coloratura repertoire. Janet enjoys equal success on the world’s concert stages with renowned conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Raymond Leppard, Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, Sir Neville Marriner, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Gerald Schwarz, Patrick Summers and Michael Tilson Thomas. Her recordings and television appearances are numerous and she was a featured performer in the Oscar-winning documentary film In the Shadow of the Stars.
“Irrepressible’ is a word that hardly does her justice. Her first act entrance … floating a high pure phrase across the house, had that charge of electricity that immediately rivets attention, and her famous ballroom aria Mein Herr Marquis was delightfully saucy.” – The New York Post on Janet Williams’ Metropolitan Opera debut.
Janet’s performing and teaching career spans over 30 years. She earned Bachelor degrees in both Music Education and Vocal Performance from Michigan State University and a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, where she was Assistant Instructor under Professor Camilla Williams. Upon graduation, she was a part of the distinguished Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera Center.
Janet has taught master classes across the United States and at vocal programs in London, Paris, Berlin, Essen, Utrecht, Ísafjörður and Reykjavik. She is currently an Honorary Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and Instructor at the Lotte Lehmann Academy in Germany, where she teaches a popular Performance Mastery Workshop. She regularly serves as jury member of various international voice competitions and audition panels at both the university and professional level. In 2011, Janet founded The Leistung und Performance Vocal Akademie Berlin, where she hosts masterclasses with renowned singers, conductors, stage directors and actors and offers a variety of performance experience and workshops for young singers beginning a career. Her book, Nail Your Next Audition, the Ultimate 30-Day Guide for Singers, offers a step-by-step instruction manual to enhance the way singers approach the audition process.
CHUCK HUDSON
Chuck Hudson has directed opera productions at major international companies including Cape Town Opera (South Africa), Cincinnati Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and San Francisco Opera Center among others. He has directed award winning theatre productions in New York and regionally, including The Pearl Theatre, The Chester Theater, Cape May Stage, The Children’s Theatre Festival of Houston, New City Theatre, and Chicago’s Fox Valley Shakespeare Festival. Chuck’s work as a director was mentioned in the January 2011 Edition of American Theatre Magazine and the October 2018 Edition of Classical Singer Magazine.
In addition to directing, Chuck continues to focus on work with young professional artists. He was a co-creator of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program where he directed productions as well as created and instructed specialized classes on Acting and Movement skills for singers. He has directed productions at San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Artist Program, AVA Opera Theater, BU Opera Institute, USC-Thornton Opera, Carnegie-Mellon, Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Cincinnati Conservatory, Indiana University Opera Theatre, and Music Academy of the West. He was the Artistic Associate of La Lingua della Lirica for two seasons in Italy, a guest artist at S.I.V.A.M. in Mexico City and has been an annual Master Teacher at San Francisco Opera’s Merola and Adler Fellows programs for almost two decades.
Chuck travels often to Australia to work with singers at The Melba Opera Trust in Melbourne, The Sydney Conservatorium, N.I.D.A., Opera Australia Young Artist Program, the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, and professional singers via the Opera and Arts Support Group. He directed the Australian Premiere of the German Opera by Goetz based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (at WAAPA), was a Guest Director at the Melbourne Conservatory of Music’s Opera Training Program, and presented public Showcases for professional singers at the residence of the American Consul General in Sydney for the Opera and Arts Support Group. The Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation also invited Chuck to work with their singers New Zealand for several seasons.
For 7 years Chuck was Artistic Director of The Immediate Theatre in Seattle: a physically based company committed to the creation of visually exciting dramatic works. Chuck’s specialty in movement comes from a background in gymnastics as well as being one of three Americans to have received a diploma from the Marcel Marceau International School of Mimedrama in Paris. He is the only American to be appointed to teach at Marceau’s School, and he performed with Marceau on his 1991 European Tour and in Klaus Kinski’s film Paganini. Chuck also studied at the Paris School for Theatrical Fencing and was awarded an Honorary Diploma from the French Academy of Arms.
Acting roles include Orsino in Twelfth Night, Brutus in Julius Caesar, and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew with the Seattle Shakespeare Festival, and Caliban in The Tempest with his own Immediate Theatre.
Chuck Hudson has directed opera productions at major international companies including Cape Town Opera (South Africa), Cincinnati Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and San Francisco Opera Center among others. He has directed award winning theatre productions in New York and regionally, including The Pearl Theatre, The Chester Theater, Cape May Stage, The Children’s Theatre Festival of Houston, New City Theatre, and Chicago’s Fox Valley Shakespeare Festival. Chuck’s work as a director was mentioned in the January 2011 Edition of American Theatre Magazine and the October 2018 Edition of Classical Singer Magazine.
In addition to directing, Chuck continues to focus on work with young professional artists. He was a co-creator of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program where he directed productions as well as created and instructed specialized classes on Acting and Movement skills for singers. He has directed productions at San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Artist Program, AVA Opera Theater, BU Opera Institute, USC-Thornton Opera, Carnegie-Mellon, Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Cincinnati Conservatory, Indiana University Opera Theatre, and Music Academy of the West. He was the Artistic Associate of La Lingua della Lirica for two seasons in Italy, a guest artist at S.I.V.A.M. in Mexico City and has been an annual Master Teacher at San Francisco Opera’s Merola and Adler Fellows programs for almost two decades.
Chuck travels often to Australia to work with singers at The Melba Opera Trust in Melbourne, The Sydney Conservatorium, N.I.D.A., Opera Australia Young Artist Program, the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, and professional singers via the Opera and Arts Support Group. He directed the Australian Premiere of the German Opera by Goetz based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (at WAAPA), was a Guest Director at the Melbourne Conservatory of Music’s Opera Training Program, and presented public Showcases for professional singers at the residence of the American Consul General in Sydney for the Opera and Arts Support Group. The Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation also invited Chuck to work with their singers New Zealand for several seasons.
For 7 years Chuck was Artistic Director of The Immediate Theatre in Seattle: a physically based company committed to the creation of visually exciting dramatic works. Chuck’s specialty in movement comes from a background in gymnastics as well as being one of three Americans to have received a diploma from the Marcel Marceau International School of Mimedrama in Paris. He is the only American to be appointed to teach at Marceau’s School, and he performed with Marceau on his 1991 European Tour and in Klaus Kinski’s film Paganini. Chuck also studied at the Paris School for Theatrical Fencing and was awarded an Honorary Diploma from the French Academy of Arms.
Acting roles include Orsino in Twelfth Night, Brutus in Julius Caesar, and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew with the Seattle Shakespeare Festival, and Caliban in The Tempest with his own Immediate Theatre.
TARA ERRAUGHT
A rich, radiant voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence are Tara Erraught’s hallmarks. Her extensive repertoire includes, Mozart, Rossini, Strauss, Bellini, Dvorak, Gounod and Händel as well as contemporary composers.
She starts the season 2020/21 with Despina in Cosi fan tutte at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she will return as Kathleen Scott in Srnka’ South Pole and will also sing Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel. As Romeo in a concert performance of I Capuleti e i Montecchi with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester she will show her versatility and at Oper Köln she will sing Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. Recitals and concerts will lead her to Munich, Dublin and the Schubertiade in Hohenems.
In the 2019/20 season Ms. Erraught delighted audiences as Hänsel at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Wiener Staatsoper, Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Staatsoper Hamburg and Angelina (La Cenerentola) at the Irish National Opera in Dublin. Recitals led her to the Wigmore Hall in London, Munich, Barcelona and Eppan and she sang concerts with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Simone Young.
Recent season highlights include Niklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) and Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) at the Metropolitan Opera, Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Angelina (La Cenerentola) at the Munich Opera Festival and Annius (La Clemenza di Tito) together with Joyce DiDonato and Rolando Villazon and conducted by Yannik Nézet-Séguin at the festival in Baden-Baden. Tara Erraught made 47 role debuts with the Bayerische Staatsoper, including Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Hänsel, Despina, Orlofsky, Sesto, Romeo, Kathleen Scott in the successful world premiere of Srnka’s South Pole and Komponist in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. She made her triumphant US-debut at Washington National Opera as Angelina (La Cenerentola) and was a guest at Staatsoper Hamburg both as Rosina and Angelina. At the Theater an der Wien she performed in the world premiere of Iain Bell’s A Harlot’s Progress and made her role debut as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) at Glyndebourne Festival and the BBC Proms. Aside from Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) she sang in the new production of La Cenerentola at the Wiener Staatsoper, earning accolades from the Frankfurter Allgemeine as the “New Queen of Belcanto”. She made her debut with the Salzburg Festival in 2016 as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust. Tara Erraught can be seen on DVD in the title role of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on the Opus Arte label.
Past recital and orchestral performances include engagements at the Schubertiade, with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin and at Wigmore Hall in London. In the USA and Canada she has performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Terrace Theater, with the Vancouver Recital Society, the Savannah Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She has furthermore performed with the Orchestre National de Lyon, at Tokyo Opera Nomori, in Dublin’s National Concert Hall and at the Wexford Festival.
A native of Dundalk, Ireland, she is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. From 2008 on she was a member of the studio oft he Bayerische Staatsoper, where she joined the ensemble in 2010 until 2018. Erraught frequently works with famed German mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender, expanding her Lied and Opera repertoire.
A rich, radiant voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence are Tara Erraught’s hallmarks. Her extensive repertoire includes, Mozart, Rossini, Strauss, Bellini, Dvorak, Gounod and Händel as well as contemporary composers.
She starts the season 2020/21 with Despina in Cosi fan tutte at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she will return as Kathleen Scott in Srnka’ South Pole and will also sing Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel. As Romeo in a concert performance of I Capuleti e i Montecchi with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester she will show her versatility and at Oper Köln she will sing Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. Recitals and concerts will lead her to Munich, Dublin and the Schubertiade in Hohenems.
In the 2019/20 season Ms. Erraught delighted audiences as Hänsel at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Wiener Staatsoper, Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Staatsoper Hamburg and Angelina (La Cenerentola) at the Irish National Opera in Dublin. Recitals led her to the Wigmore Hall in London, Munich, Barcelona and Eppan and she sang concerts with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Simone Young.
Recent season highlights include Niklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) and Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) at the Metropolitan Opera, Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Angelina (La Cenerentola) at the Munich Opera Festival and Annius (La Clemenza di Tito) together with Joyce DiDonato and Rolando Villazon and conducted by Yannik Nézet-Séguin at the festival in Baden-Baden. Tara Erraught made 47 role debuts with the Bayerische Staatsoper, including Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Hänsel, Despina, Orlofsky, Sesto, Romeo, Kathleen Scott in the successful world premiere of Srnka’s South Pole and Komponist in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. She made her triumphant US-debut at Washington National Opera as Angelina (La Cenerentola) and was a guest at Staatsoper Hamburg both as Rosina and Angelina. At the Theater an der Wien she performed in the world premiere of Iain Bell’s A Harlot’s Progress and made her role debut as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) at Glyndebourne Festival and the BBC Proms. Aside from Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) she sang in the new production of La Cenerentola at the Wiener Staatsoper, earning accolades from the Frankfurter Allgemeine as the “New Queen of Belcanto”. She made her debut with the Salzburg Festival in 2016 as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust. Tara Erraught can be seen on DVD in the title role of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on the Opus Arte label.
Past recital and orchestral performances include engagements at the Schubertiade, with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin and at Wigmore Hall in London. In the USA and Canada she has performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Terrace Theater, with the Vancouver Recital Society, the Savannah Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She has furthermore performed with the Orchestre National de Lyon, at Tokyo Opera Nomori, in Dublin’s National Concert Hall and at the Wexford Festival.
A native of Dundalk, Ireland, she is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. From 2008 on she was a member of the studio oft he Bayerische Staatsoper, where she joined the ensemble in 2010 until 2018. Erraught frequently works with famed German mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender, expanding her Lied and Opera repertoire.
STEPHAN REINEKE
Stephan studied law, musicology and cultural administration at the universities in Bayreuth, Mainz, Cologne and Berlin. After early lessons in piano, he became a member of a chorus working with conductors such as Sergiu Celibidache, Sylvain Cambreling and Michael Gielen and orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London and the SWR Symphonieorchester.
He gained valuable experience working in the artistic administration of Komische Oper Berlin, as Assistant to the Director of the Radio Chorus Berlin and as Personal Assistant to the Intendant of Dortmund Opera.
In 2004 he embarked on his career as an Artist Manager for singers and conductors and during the subsequent years worked for different agencies before joining the team of TACT International Art Management in 2012. For many years, he was also Managing President of a non-profit foundation in Berlin supporting young and talented artists.
In addition, Stephan was a member of the jury of the International Singing Competition Debut and the Jerusalem International Opera Competition. He gives lectures at the Berlin Summer University of the Arts and works in audition trainings with students at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, at the Dutch National Opera Academy Amsterdam, and for further vocal academies and programs.
Stephan studied law, musicology and cultural administration at the universities in Bayreuth, Mainz, Cologne and Berlin. After early lessons in piano, he became a member of a chorus working with conductors such as Sergiu Celibidache, Sylvain Cambreling and Michael Gielen and orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London and the SWR Symphonieorchester.
He gained valuable experience working in the artistic administration of Komische Oper Berlin, as Assistant to the Director of the Radio Chorus Berlin and as Personal Assistant to the Intendant of Dortmund Opera.
In 2004 he embarked on his career as an Artist Manager for singers and conductors and during the subsequent years worked for different agencies before joining the team of TACT International Art Management in 2012. For many years, he was also Managing President of a non-profit foundation in Berlin supporting young and talented artists.
In addition, Stephan was a member of the jury of the International Singing Competition Debut and the Jerusalem International Opera Competition. He gives lectures at the Berlin Summer University of the Arts and works in audition trainings with students at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, at the Dutch National Opera Academy Amsterdam, and for further vocal academies and programs.
JULIE WYMA
Julie Wyma has been described as a Renaissance Woman of opera, having worked in both Europe and the United States as a singer, director, stage manager, wig/makeup artist, costume designer, producer, and educator.
Julie has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe), Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle (Opera By Request, semi-staged) Massenet’s Werther (Irrational Entertainment), Händel’s Semele (Midwest Early Opera Works), Jonathan Stinson’s The Three Bears and Ryan Oldham’s The Emperor’s Madness (University of Missouri-Kansas City), as well as Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (Voci Inglesi) and numerous opera scenes programs. She has assistant directed Albert Herring and Giulio Cesare at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Carmen at Opera North, and she assistant stage managed La Rondine at Indiana University. She has directed opera scenes at Opera North and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2019 she produced a staged performance of The AIDS Quilt Songbook: Berlin Edition in Berlin, Germany, which included two new song commissions. In January 2022 she will direct a production of Strauss's Elektra in Berlin (Berlin Elektra Projekt).
As a costume designer Julie worked for Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York for the 2011-2012 Season, which included Tosca, The Consul, Iolanta, The Most Happy Fella, La Cenerentola, Beauty and the Beast, and La Traviata. She also designed costumes for Opera On Tap Berlin’s production of Les contes d’Hoffmann in 2016 and for Literally Alive’s production of A Christmas Carol in New York in 2012. As a student she worked as a costume assistant/stitcher for the University of Arizona on Le nozze di Figaro and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and for Indiana University on Die Zauberflöte, The Nutcracker, and La Rondine. She has worked as a Wig and Makeup Assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in operas including Giulio Cesare, La Bohème, and John Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in productions including La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and The Man of La Mancha, and for a national tour of Hairspray. As a young artist, she was a set construction assistant at Opera in the Ozarks in 2004.
As an educator, Julie’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Opera Programs Berlin, Dramatic Voices Program Berlin, Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment.
As a professional operatic soprano she has performed more than 25 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in I barbiere di Siviglia, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, the Waldvogel in Siegfried, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”
An active concert performer and recitalist, her recent appearances include concerts at the US Consul General in Düsseldorf and the Residence of the US Ambassador to Germany in Berlin; a song recital at the University of Pittsburg at Greensburg; Lovers’ Quarrels, a concert of operatic duets and arias in Concord, New Hampshire and Niemegk, Germany; Three Tenors and a Soprano concerts in Cornish and New London, New Hampshire; and Viva Divas!, a concert of operatic arias, duets, and trios in Cornish, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Arizona and Berlin, Germany.
Julie Wyma has been described as a Renaissance Woman of opera, having worked in both Europe and the United States as a singer, director, stage manager, wig/makeup artist, costume designer, producer, and educator.
Julie has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe), Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle (Opera By Request, semi-staged) Massenet’s Werther (Irrational Entertainment), Händel’s Semele (Midwest Early Opera Works), Jonathan Stinson’s The Three Bears and Ryan Oldham’s The Emperor’s Madness (University of Missouri-Kansas City), as well as Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (Voci Inglesi) and numerous opera scenes programs. She has assistant directed Albert Herring and Giulio Cesare at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Carmen at Opera North, and she assistant stage managed La Rondine at Indiana University. She has directed opera scenes at Opera North and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2019 she produced a staged performance of The AIDS Quilt Songbook: Berlin Edition in Berlin, Germany, which included two new song commissions. In January 2022 she will direct a production of Strauss's Elektra in Berlin (Berlin Elektra Projekt).
As a costume designer Julie worked for Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York for the 2011-2012 Season, which included Tosca, The Consul, Iolanta, The Most Happy Fella, La Cenerentola, Beauty and the Beast, and La Traviata. She also designed costumes for Opera On Tap Berlin’s production of Les contes d’Hoffmann in 2016 and for Literally Alive’s production of A Christmas Carol in New York in 2012. As a student she worked as a costume assistant/stitcher for the University of Arizona on Le nozze di Figaro and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and for Indiana University on Die Zauberflöte, The Nutcracker, and La Rondine. She has worked as a Wig and Makeup Assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in operas including Giulio Cesare, La Bohème, and John Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in productions including La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and The Man of La Mancha, and for a national tour of Hairspray. As a young artist, she was a set construction assistant at Opera in the Ozarks in 2004.
As an educator, Julie’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Opera Programs Berlin, Dramatic Voices Program Berlin, Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment.
As a professional operatic soprano she has performed more than 25 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in I barbiere di Siviglia, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, the Waldvogel in Siegfried, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”
An active concert performer and recitalist, her recent appearances include concerts at the US Consul General in Düsseldorf and the Residence of the US Ambassador to Germany in Berlin; a song recital at the University of Pittsburg at Greensburg; Lovers’ Quarrels, a concert of operatic duets and arias in Concord, New Hampshire and Niemegk, Germany; Three Tenors and a Soprano concerts in Cornish and New London, New Hampshire; and Viva Divas!, a concert of operatic arias, duets, and trios in Cornish, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Arizona and Berlin, Germany.
ANASTASIA INNISS
Ms. Inniss commenced her vocal training in Bulgaria and continued it at the Longy School of Music at Bard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. She was a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artists Program and was later invited to return as a main stage Resident Artist with the company.
Opera roles include: Woglinde in Das Rheingold (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Lohengrin (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
Ms. Inniss is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new theater piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation).
Solo concert engagements include J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (Old North Concert Series), Magnificat in D (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa brevis in A (Fine Arts Chorale); Mozart's Requiem (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Pergolesi Stabat mater (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Schubert Mass in G (Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem (Tufts University Orchestra, cover); Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream (Longy Chamber Orchestra); Berg Sieben frühe Lieder (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival); Mahler Rückert-Lieder (Berlin Song Festival); Strauss Vier letzte Lieder (Berlin Song Festival, Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival, Walbrook Music Trust, Galerieforum am Meer); Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others.
As a concert artist, Ms. Inniss has also given numerous concert and solo recitals in the United States and in Europe.
Ms. Inniss is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. Previously, she was the Artistic Director of the Berlin Song Festival and an Artistic Consultant for The Opera Stage (now folded into Classical Singer Magazine). She has worked as an educator in higher education as well as in leadership positions in the arts for the last 15 years, both in the United States and in Europe.
Her directing credits include: Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and scenes from the operatic and musical theatre repertoire. She has served as a casting director and producer for Wagner's Das Rheingold, Wagner's Lohengrin, Strauss' Elektra, Wagner's Die Walküre and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. She also designed costumes for Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years.
Ms. Inniss is a leader in the classical music industry. She has co-produced and hosted roundtable panel discussions on patterns of discrimination in the classical music industry - Singing While Black In Germany, Race in Opera and Ageism in Opera. In addition, she has spear-headed, co-designed, co-produced and hosted Trans*Voices - a series of masterclasses for transgender and non-binary artists. She often does charity work raising money for such organisations as Save the Children, Berliner Aids-Hilfe, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler CoronaCare, Black Lives Matter, Chineke! Foundation, Artist Relief Tree.
She currently resides in Berlin, Germany and Lanzarote, Canary Island with her fiancé. In her free time, she enjoys long swims, cooking without recipes, spontaneous travel and pretty much anything to do with the ocean.
Ms. Inniss commenced her vocal training in Bulgaria and continued it at the Longy School of Music at Bard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. She was a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artists Program and was later invited to return as a main stage Resident Artist with the company.
Opera roles include: Woglinde in Das Rheingold (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Lohengrin (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
Ms. Inniss is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new theater piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation).
Solo concert engagements include J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (Old North Concert Series), Magnificat in D (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa brevis in A (Fine Arts Chorale); Mozart's Requiem (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Pergolesi Stabat mater (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Schubert Mass in G (Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem (Tufts University Orchestra, cover); Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream (Longy Chamber Orchestra); Berg Sieben frühe Lieder (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival); Mahler Rückert-Lieder (Berlin Song Festival); Strauss Vier letzte Lieder (Berlin Song Festival, Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival, Walbrook Music Trust, Galerieforum am Meer); Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others.
As a concert artist, Ms. Inniss has also given numerous concert and solo recitals in the United States and in Europe.
Ms. Inniss is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. Previously, she was the Artistic Director of the Berlin Song Festival and an Artistic Consultant for The Opera Stage (now folded into Classical Singer Magazine). She has worked as an educator in higher education as well as in leadership positions in the arts for the last 15 years, both in the United States and in Europe.
Her directing credits include: Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and scenes from the operatic and musical theatre repertoire. She has served as a casting director and producer for Wagner's Das Rheingold, Wagner's Lohengrin, Strauss' Elektra, Wagner's Die Walküre and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. She also designed costumes for Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years.
Ms. Inniss is a leader in the classical music industry. She has co-produced and hosted roundtable panel discussions on patterns of discrimination in the classical music industry - Singing While Black In Germany, Race in Opera and Ageism in Opera. In addition, she has spear-headed, co-designed, co-produced and hosted Trans*Voices - a series of masterclasses for transgender and non-binary artists. She often does charity work raising money for such organisations as Save the Children, Berliner Aids-Hilfe, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler CoronaCare, Black Lives Matter, Chineke! Foundation, Artist Relief Tree.
She currently resides in Berlin, Germany and Lanzarote, Canary Island with her fiancé. In her free time, she enjoys long swims, cooking without recipes, spontaneous travel and pretty much anything to do with the ocean.
