THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED.
READ ABOUT THE NEW SESSION OF THIS PROGRAM FOLLOWING THE LINK BELOW.
READ ABOUT THE NEW SESSION OF THIS PROGRAM FOLLOWING THE LINK BELOW.
CAROL VANESS
(Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera House, Chicago Lyric Opera,
Gran Teatro del Liceo, Salzburger Festspiele)
ALAN HELD
(Metropolitan Opera, Wien Staatsoper, Royal Opera House, Paris Opera,
Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera,
Bayerische Staatsoper)
STEPHAN REINEKE
(TACT International Art Management)
REBEKAH ROTA
(Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Landesbühnen Sachsen)
SETH CARICO
(Deutsche Oper Berlin, Theater Basel, Minnesota Opera,
Staatsoper Hamburg, Chautauqua Opera)
(Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera House, Chicago Lyric Opera,
Gran Teatro del Liceo, Salzburger Festspiele)
ALAN HELD
(Metropolitan Opera, Wien Staatsoper, Royal Opera House, Paris Opera,
Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera,
Bayerische Staatsoper)
STEPHAN REINEKE
(TACT International Art Management)
REBEKAH ROTA
(Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Landesbühnen Sachsen)
SETH CARICO
(Deutsche Oper Berlin, Theater Basel, Minnesota Opera,
Staatsoper Hamburg, Chautauqua Opera)
Visual Presentation|Online Presentation|Application Materials
with
ANASTASIA NIKOLOV & JULIE WYMA
with
ANASTASIA NIKOLOV & JULIE WYMA
ANASTASIA NIKOLOV, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
JULIE WYMA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JULIE WYMA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The program will focus on:
- standing out from the crowd in a highly competitive and saturated market;
- identifying each artist's individual strengths and how to capitalize on them;
- polishing each artist’s professional materials to get noticed every time.
Program will include:
- Live Q & A sessions with each clinician on the following topics:
CAROL VANESS
on
CAREER LONGEVITY IN AN EVER-CHANGING GLOBAL MARKET
REBEKAH ROTA
on
CURATING YOUR AUDITION LIST OF ARIAS & CASTING FOR THE GERMAN MARKET
STEPHAN REINEKE
on
FINDING REPRESENTATION IN THE EUROPEAN & THE GERMAN OPERA MARKETS
ALAN HELD
on
AUDITION SUCCESS AND BUILDING A GLOBAL CAREER ON THE OPERA AND CONCERT STAGE
SETH CARICO
on
WORKING AS A FEST OR GUEST ARTIST IN THE GERMAN THEATRE SYSTEM
on
CAREER LONGEVITY IN AN EVER-CHANGING GLOBAL MARKET
REBEKAH ROTA
on
CURATING YOUR AUDITION LIST OF ARIAS & CASTING FOR THE GERMAN MARKET
STEPHAN REINEKE
on
FINDING REPRESENTATION IN THE EUROPEAN & THE GERMAN OPERA MARKETS
ALAN HELD
on
AUDITION SUCCESS AND BUILDING A GLOBAL CAREER ON THE OPERA AND CONCERT STAGE
SETH CARICO
on
WORKING AS A FEST OR GUEST ARTIST IN THE GERMAN THEATRE SYSTEM
- Individual 45-min sessions on resume/CV, website, audition recordings, and social media presentation for the global and German markets. (Individually scheduled on a mutually convenient date and time between April 1-20, 2020.)
- Review of materials prior to individual session. Feedback and suggestions for adjustments and improvements will be given during the session.
- Individual follow-up on overall presentation after the completion of the program.
- Follow-up with each participating artist after suggested adjustments and improvements are made.
- Access to an OPB online community page and all videos of Live Q&As.
Find out:
- where you fit in the global market;
- how to build a sound list of audition arias;
- how to present a well-balanced audition program and/or competition program;
- how to present a successful audition and video;
- how to present a polished individualised look;
- how to stand out among hundreds of applicants.
Learn about:
- The European and German markets
- The German Theatre System
- Casting within the German Theatre System
- To Fest or To Guest
- To Chorus or not to Chorus
FACULTY
CAROL VANESS
Born in San Diego, CA, Carol Vaness launched her professional singing career at the New York City Opera, where she appeared regularly from 1979 to 1983. Since then, she has sung on the world's biggest stages and at premier music festivals, collaborated with today's foremost conductors in operatic and symphonic repertoires, appeared on numerous television broadcasts throughout North America and Europe, and compiled a distinguished catalog of recordings.
Her interpretations of Mozart's dramatic heroines, including Fiordiligi in 'Così fan tutte', Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in 'Don Giovanni', Elettra in 'Idomeneo', and Vitellia in 'La Clemenza di Tito', have been hailed as definitive, and she has become especially identifiable with the role of Floria Tosca. She performed the title role of Puccini's Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 opposite Pavarotti in the legendary tenor's final operatic performance.
Vaness made her professional debut as Vitellia for the San Francisco Spring Opera and has been acknowledged as the world's leading interpreter of this role. She has appeared as Vitellia at the Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera and Gran Teatro del Liceo and at the Salzburg Festival and other leading theaters.
Among her many celebrated television appearances, she has been featured on the Pavarotti Plus and Pavarotti and Friends telecasts from Lincoln Center, as well as the Richard Tucker Gala and In Performance at the White House with members of the New York City Opera.
Born in San Diego, CA, Carol Vaness launched her professional singing career at the New York City Opera, where she appeared regularly from 1979 to 1983. Since then, she has sung on the world's biggest stages and at premier music festivals, collaborated with today's foremost conductors in operatic and symphonic repertoires, appeared on numerous television broadcasts throughout North America and Europe, and compiled a distinguished catalog of recordings.
Her interpretations of Mozart's dramatic heroines, including Fiordiligi in 'Così fan tutte', Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in 'Don Giovanni', Elettra in 'Idomeneo', and Vitellia in 'La Clemenza di Tito', have been hailed as definitive, and she has become especially identifiable with the role of Floria Tosca. She performed the title role of Puccini's Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 opposite Pavarotti in the legendary tenor's final operatic performance.
Vaness made her professional debut as Vitellia for the San Francisco Spring Opera and has been acknowledged as the world's leading interpreter of this role. She has appeared as Vitellia at the Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera and Gran Teatro del Liceo and at the Salzburg Festival and other leading theaters.
Among her many celebrated television appearances, she has been featured on the Pavarotti Plus and Pavarotti and Friends telecasts from Lincoln Center, as well as the Richard Tucker Gala and In Performance at the White House with members of the New York City Opera.
ALAN HELD
Well into his fourth decade of being recognized internationally as “one of the leading singing actors today”, American bass-baritone, Alan Held, has appeared in major roles in the world’s finest opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, The Vienna State Opera, The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, The Paris Opera, The Bavarian State Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Teatre del Liceu, Hamburg State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Netherlands Opera, Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, The Canadian Opera Company, and Teatro de la Maestranza.
His many roles include Wotan in Wagner’s “Der Ring Des Nibelungen”, Amfortas in “Parsifal”, Scarpia in “Tosca”, The Four Villains in “Les Contes d’Hoffmann”, Jochanaan in “Salome”, Kurwenal in “Tristan und Isolde”, Don Pizzaro in “Fidelio”, Orestes in “Elektra”, Balstrode in Peter Grimes, and the title roles in “Gianni Schicchi”, “Der Fliegende Holländer”, “Wozzeck”, and “Cardillac”.
Equally at home on the concert stage, he has performed with the world’s leading orchestras including The Berlin Philharmonic, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The BBC-Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Paris Orchestra, The Kirov Opera Orchestra, and The Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared at the Salzburg and Tanglewood Festivals as well as the BBC Proms.
He has worked with the such distinguished conductors as Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Kirill Petrenko, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, James Conlon, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zubin Mehta, Franz Welser-Möst, Kent Nagano, Sir Simon Rattle, David Robertson, Donald Runnicles, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Jeffrey Tate.
The 2019-2020 season has had Mr. Held returning to the Wiener Staatsoper to sing one of his most performed roles, Jochanaan (“Salome”). He also appearedbwith the Orchestre de Métropolitan in “Fidelio” under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Recent additions include Mr. Held joining the cast of “Die Walküre” and “Siegfried” as Wotan/Der Wanderer in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” in the Spring of 2020. He will sing for the first time in the summer opera season at Chautauqua Opera as Baron Scarpia in “Tosca” as well as Daniel Webster in Virgil Thomson’s, “The Mother of us All”.
The 2018-2019 season had Mr. Held returning to the Washington National Opera as Scarpia in “Tosca”. He has appeared with the company in nearly 25 productions in the past 31 years at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He also appeared with the Hessische Rundfunks Sinfonieorchester in concert presentations of “Der Freischütz”. The concerts were recorded for a Fall 2019 release on the Pentatone label. Mr. Held appeared in a special concert of highlights from Wagner Dramas at the Boston Wagner Society and as the Bass Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Wichita Symphony. He also appeared with Maestro David Robertson and The Sydney, Australia Symphony Orchestra in “Peter Grimes”. Mr. Held once again served as the Artist in Residence with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera during the 2018-2019 season.
The 2017-2018 season began with Mr. Held appearing with The Cleveland Orchestra as part of their gala centennial season. The orchestra reprised their highly acclaimed production of Janáček’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” with performances in Cleveland, Vienna, and Luxembourg. Mr. Held also sang the opera with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in February, 2018. He further participated in the Cleveland Orchestra 100th Anniversary Season in concert performances of “Tristan und Isolde” in April, 2018. He returned to the Vienna Staatsoper to sing his acclaimed interpretation of Jockanaan in “Salome” and to sing, in a new production, the role of Caspar (role debut) in “Der Freischütz”. In July, 2018, Mr. Held sang a concert of highlights from “Der Ring des Niblungen” with Christine Goerke, Simon O’Neill, and Eric Owens at Wolf Trap with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Held has established a close relationship with the Canadian Opera. In the 2013-2014 season, he was the recipient of the Dora Mavor Moore award (“Outstanding Male Performance) presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. In the 2015-2016 season, the COC production of “Siegfried”, also won this prestigious award. Mr. Held played the role of Wotan/Wanderer in this highly acclaimed run of performances.
Recent recordings include the spectacular Marek Janowksi conducted CD of Weber’s “Der Freischütz” on the Pentatone label with the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra. Mr. Held sang the role of Don Pizzaro for the 2003 EMI Classics recording of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” with The Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. Mr. Held can be seen in the title role on the 2005 Harmonia Mundi DVD recording of “Cardillac” from The Paris Opera lead by Kent Nagano. He appears as Donner on the 1990 Deutsche Grammaphone DVD recording of “Das Rheingold” from The Metropolitan Opera conducted by James Levine. Also from The Met, Mr. Held can be seen as Peter on the 2008 EMI DVD recording of Humperdink’s “Hansel and Gretel” staged by Richard Jones and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. In September 2011, Orfeo Records released a live recording of “Rusalka” that was made at the Salzburg Festival in 2008 with Mr. Held, Piotr Beczala, Camilla Nylund and the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst. A DVD recording from the 2011 Baden-Baden production of “Salome”, directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff, was recently released on the Arthaus Musik label.
A native of Washburn, Illinois, Mr. Held received his vocal training at Millikin University and Wichita State University. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards including The Birgit Nilsson Prize. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Millikin University in 2000. He is also a noted clinician and has, since 2002, given public master classes and private coaching sessions at Yale University. In January, 2014, Mr. Held was named The Ann and Dr. Dennis Ross Faculty of Distinction in Opera at Wichita State University. In 2017, Professor Held becomes just the 3rd Director of Opera at WSU. He continues his active vocal career in addition to serving as an Associate Professor in the School of Fine Arts. Students of Mr. Held are members of prestigious young artist programs including the Lindemann Young Artist Program at The Metropolitan Opera and at the Adler Fellowship Program at The San Francisco Opera. Since 2016, Mr. Held has been a guest Master Teacher at The Miami Music Festival Wagner Institute.
In January, 2019, Mr. Held began his duties as the Artistic Director at the Wichita Grand opera. Mr. Held serves as the Artist in Residence for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at The Washington National Opera during the 2018-2019 season, a position he held as well during the 2015-2016 season. He also served as the Artist in Residence at The Wolf Trap Opera Company during their summer of 2016 season.
Well into his fourth decade of being recognized internationally as “one of the leading singing actors today”, American bass-baritone, Alan Held, has appeared in major roles in the world’s finest opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, The Vienna State Opera, The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, The Paris Opera, The Bavarian State Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Teatre del Liceu, Hamburg State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Netherlands Opera, Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, The Canadian Opera Company, and Teatro de la Maestranza.
His many roles include Wotan in Wagner’s “Der Ring Des Nibelungen”, Amfortas in “Parsifal”, Scarpia in “Tosca”, The Four Villains in “Les Contes d’Hoffmann”, Jochanaan in “Salome”, Kurwenal in “Tristan und Isolde”, Don Pizzaro in “Fidelio”, Orestes in “Elektra”, Balstrode in Peter Grimes, and the title roles in “Gianni Schicchi”, “Der Fliegende Holländer”, “Wozzeck”, and “Cardillac”.
Equally at home on the concert stage, he has performed with the world’s leading orchestras including The Berlin Philharmonic, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The BBC-Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Paris Orchestra, The Kirov Opera Orchestra, and The Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared at the Salzburg and Tanglewood Festivals as well as the BBC Proms.
He has worked with the such distinguished conductors as Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Kirill Petrenko, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, James Conlon, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zubin Mehta, Franz Welser-Möst, Kent Nagano, Sir Simon Rattle, David Robertson, Donald Runnicles, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Jeffrey Tate.
The 2019-2020 season has had Mr. Held returning to the Wiener Staatsoper to sing one of his most performed roles, Jochanaan (“Salome”). He also appearedbwith the Orchestre de Métropolitan in “Fidelio” under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Recent additions include Mr. Held joining the cast of “Die Walküre” and “Siegfried” as Wotan/Der Wanderer in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” in the Spring of 2020. He will sing for the first time in the summer opera season at Chautauqua Opera as Baron Scarpia in “Tosca” as well as Daniel Webster in Virgil Thomson’s, “The Mother of us All”.
The 2018-2019 season had Mr. Held returning to the Washington National Opera as Scarpia in “Tosca”. He has appeared with the company in nearly 25 productions in the past 31 years at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He also appeared with the Hessische Rundfunks Sinfonieorchester in concert presentations of “Der Freischütz”. The concerts were recorded for a Fall 2019 release on the Pentatone label. Mr. Held appeared in a special concert of highlights from Wagner Dramas at the Boston Wagner Society and as the Bass Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Wichita Symphony. He also appeared with Maestro David Robertson and The Sydney, Australia Symphony Orchestra in “Peter Grimes”. Mr. Held once again served as the Artist in Residence with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera during the 2018-2019 season.
The 2017-2018 season began with Mr. Held appearing with The Cleveland Orchestra as part of their gala centennial season. The orchestra reprised their highly acclaimed production of Janáček’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” with performances in Cleveland, Vienna, and Luxembourg. Mr. Held also sang the opera with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in February, 2018. He further participated in the Cleveland Orchestra 100th Anniversary Season in concert performances of “Tristan und Isolde” in April, 2018. He returned to the Vienna Staatsoper to sing his acclaimed interpretation of Jockanaan in “Salome” and to sing, in a new production, the role of Caspar (role debut) in “Der Freischütz”. In July, 2018, Mr. Held sang a concert of highlights from “Der Ring des Niblungen” with Christine Goerke, Simon O’Neill, and Eric Owens at Wolf Trap with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Held has established a close relationship with the Canadian Opera. In the 2013-2014 season, he was the recipient of the Dora Mavor Moore award (“Outstanding Male Performance) presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. In the 2015-2016 season, the COC production of “Siegfried”, also won this prestigious award. Mr. Held played the role of Wotan/Wanderer in this highly acclaimed run of performances.
Recent recordings include the spectacular Marek Janowksi conducted CD of Weber’s “Der Freischütz” on the Pentatone label with the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra. Mr. Held sang the role of Don Pizzaro for the 2003 EMI Classics recording of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” with The Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. Mr. Held can be seen in the title role on the 2005 Harmonia Mundi DVD recording of “Cardillac” from The Paris Opera lead by Kent Nagano. He appears as Donner on the 1990 Deutsche Grammaphone DVD recording of “Das Rheingold” from The Metropolitan Opera conducted by James Levine. Also from The Met, Mr. Held can be seen as Peter on the 2008 EMI DVD recording of Humperdink’s “Hansel and Gretel” staged by Richard Jones and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. In September 2011, Orfeo Records released a live recording of “Rusalka” that was made at the Salzburg Festival in 2008 with Mr. Held, Piotr Beczala, Camilla Nylund and the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst. A DVD recording from the 2011 Baden-Baden production of “Salome”, directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff, was recently released on the Arthaus Musik label.
A native of Washburn, Illinois, Mr. Held received his vocal training at Millikin University and Wichita State University. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards including The Birgit Nilsson Prize. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Millikin University in 2000. He is also a noted clinician and has, since 2002, given public master classes and private coaching sessions at Yale University. In January, 2014, Mr. Held was named The Ann and Dr. Dennis Ross Faculty of Distinction in Opera at Wichita State University. In 2017, Professor Held becomes just the 3rd Director of Opera at WSU. He continues his active vocal career in addition to serving as an Associate Professor in the School of Fine Arts. Students of Mr. Held are members of prestigious young artist programs including the Lindemann Young Artist Program at The Metropolitan Opera and at the Adler Fellowship Program at The San Francisco Opera. Since 2016, Mr. Held has been a guest Master Teacher at The Miami Music Festival Wagner Institute.
In January, 2019, Mr. Held began his duties as the Artistic Director at the Wichita Grand opera. Mr. Held serves as the Artist in Residence for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at The Washington National Opera during the 2018-2019 season, a position he held as well during the 2015-2016 season. He also served as the Artist in Residence at The Wolf Trap Opera Company during their summer of 2016 season.
REBEKAH ROTA
Rebekah Rota is a multi-faceted artist whose career encompasses performing, teaching, directing, and arts administration. Rebekah combines intellectual rigor with emotional connectivity in whatever she does, striving to fill Structure with Heart. After completing her Master’s and Doctorate studies at the University of Michigan, she embarked on the first stage of her professional journey as a performer.
She sang throughout Germany and the United States, bringing life to such great roles as Violetta in La Traviata (Verdi), Mimi in La Bohème (Puccini), Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck), and Margarethe in Faust (Gounod), among others. She was consistently recognized for her ability to combine secure technique, beautiful singing, and moving interpretations. "Natural acting and deeply-felt singing… dreamy, soft high notes…" "Believable and moving… masterful coloratura." "Silvery high notes, sparkling coloratura, powerful in all registers and with great acting ability."
Invitations to teach and coach soon followed. In addition to maintaining a private studio, Rebekah has been invited to give workshops and master classes in the US (University of Michigan, Loyola Marymount University, Utah Valley University) and Germany (German Opera Experience, James Madison University study abroad, Berlin Opera Academy).
Her deep grounding in technique and powerful emotional connectivity support the student’s journey to use the voice as an instrument for communication. "Rebekah is an insightful and intuitive teacher who has the ability to recognize each student’s individual struggles. Not only is she an amazing technician, she believes in connecting your physical and emotional energy to everything you sing, making your experience extremely personal." "Rebekah has one goal as a teacher: to achieve a natural sound for an authentic, honest interpretation that serves the music. Every second of her pedagogical and technical work is focused on this goal – providing both consistency and freedom.”
While still a student at the University of Michigan, Rebekah was selected to receive a specially tailored scholarship in stage direction. Bringing perspective from both “sides” of the stage, Rebekah’s unique vision couples depth of understanding with breadth of emotional connection. She was soon selected to direct various productions at the University (Davidson’s The Fourth Wise Man; Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte) and received internships and assistant stage director positions with such companies as Opera Grand Rapids, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Indianapolis Opera, and the Los Angeles Opera.
After focusing exclusively on her singing career for a number of years, Rebekah returned to stage direction in 2014 with Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Mittelsächsische Theater. The following year, her staging of the mono-opera The Diary of Anne Frank by Grigor Frid at the Mecklenburgischen Landestheater Neustrelitz received national attention. The production was selected for the Polish language premiere of the opera at the International Penderecki Festival in Poland in September 2016 and it was revived in June 2017 in Krakow. She will be directing again this fall at the Landesbuehnen Sachsen; Peter Lund’s children’s opera Der Frosch muss Weg. "That this was all accomplished so unpretentiously, technically brilliantly, musically and dramatically convincingly, is in large part the merit of stage director Rebekah Rota from Canada {sic}. Under her direction, something grand that touches us all, “tua res agitur”, was coaxed out of polyphonic brevity and received resounding applause at the premiere." "This year - Opera Underground and the Polish premiere of the operatic monodrama The Diary of Anne Frank by Grigor Frid, directed by American Rebecca {sic} Rota. Sensitive, delicate, with girlish charm - very movingly designed to touch, not "hammer", something the director wanted to avoid.”
Fall 2017 saw the beginning of yet another professional chapter for Rebekah as she accepted the position of Referentin des Operndirektors at the Landesbuehnen Sachsen in Dresden. Her long experience as a singer, teacher, and director inform her new duties as artistic administrator as she helps to manage daily operations, long-term planning and casting, and strategic planning at the theater. Outreach and Education are also important areas for her and she has initiated several in-school programs to introduce school children to the history and skill of classical singing.
From April 2020, Rebekah will join Staatstheater Karlsruhe as the company's Stellvertretende Operndirektorin (Deputy Head of Opera).
Rebekah Rota is a multi-faceted artist whose career encompasses performing, teaching, directing, and arts administration. Rebekah combines intellectual rigor with emotional connectivity in whatever she does, striving to fill Structure with Heart. After completing her Master’s and Doctorate studies at the University of Michigan, she embarked on the first stage of her professional journey as a performer.
She sang throughout Germany and the United States, bringing life to such great roles as Violetta in La Traviata (Verdi), Mimi in La Bohème (Puccini), Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck), and Margarethe in Faust (Gounod), among others. She was consistently recognized for her ability to combine secure technique, beautiful singing, and moving interpretations. "Natural acting and deeply-felt singing… dreamy, soft high notes…" "Believable and moving… masterful coloratura." "Silvery high notes, sparkling coloratura, powerful in all registers and with great acting ability."
Invitations to teach and coach soon followed. In addition to maintaining a private studio, Rebekah has been invited to give workshops and master classes in the US (University of Michigan, Loyola Marymount University, Utah Valley University) and Germany (German Opera Experience, James Madison University study abroad, Berlin Opera Academy).
Her deep grounding in technique and powerful emotional connectivity support the student’s journey to use the voice as an instrument for communication. "Rebekah is an insightful and intuitive teacher who has the ability to recognize each student’s individual struggles. Not only is she an amazing technician, she believes in connecting your physical and emotional energy to everything you sing, making your experience extremely personal." "Rebekah has one goal as a teacher: to achieve a natural sound for an authentic, honest interpretation that serves the music. Every second of her pedagogical and technical work is focused on this goal – providing both consistency and freedom.”
While still a student at the University of Michigan, Rebekah was selected to receive a specially tailored scholarship in stage direction. Bringing perspective from both “sides” of the stage, Rebekah’s unique vision couples depth of understanding with breadth of emotional connection. She was soon selected to direct various productions at the University (Davidson’s The Fourth Wise Man; Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte) and received internships and assistant stage director positions with such companies as Opera Grand Rapids, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Indianapolis Opera, and the Los Angeles Opera.
After focusing exclusively on her singing career for a number of years, Rebekah returned to stage direction in 2014 with Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Mittelsächsische Theater. The following year, her staging of the mono-opera The Diary of Anne Frank by Grigor Frid at the Mecklenburgischen Landestheater Neustrelitz received national attention. The production was selected for the Polish language premiere of the opera at the International Penderecki Festival in Poland in September 2016 and it was revived in June 2017 in Krakow. She will be directing again this fall at the Landesbuehnen Sachsen; Peter Lund’s children’s opera Der Frosch muss Weg. "That this was all accomplished so unpretentiously, technically brilliantly, musically and dramatically convincingly, is in large part the merit of stage director Rebekah Rota from Canada {sic}. Under her direction, something grand that touches us all, “tua res agitur”, was coaxed out of polyphonic brevity and received resounding applause at the premiere." "This year - Opera Underground and the Polish premiere of the operatic monodrama The Diary of Anne Frank by Grigor Frid, directed by American Rebecca {sic} Rota. Sensitive, delicate, with girlish charm - very movingly designed to touch, not "hammer", something the director wanted to avoid.”
Fall 2017 saw the beginning of yet another professional chapter for Rebekah as she accepted the position of Referentin des Operndirektors at the Landesbuehnen Sachsen in Dresden. Her long experience as a singer, teacher, and director inform her new duties as artistic administrator as she helps to manage daily operations, long-term planning and casting, and strategic planning at the theater. Outreach and Education are also important areas for her and she has initiated several in-school programs to introduce school children to the history and skill of classical singing.
From April 2020, Rebekah will join Staatstheater Karlsruhe as the company's Stellvertretende Operndirektorin (Deputy Head of Opera).
STEPHAN REINEKE, TACT ART INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Stephan studied law, musicology and cultural management 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 and the SWR Symphony Orchestra. He gained valuable experience in the artistic administration of Komische Oper Berlin, as assistant to the Director of the Rundfunkchor Berlin and as personal assistant to the Intendant of Dortmund Opera. In addition, he was also Managing President of a non-profit foundation in Berlin supporting young and talented artists. Stephan was a member of the jury of the European Singing Competition Debut and gives lectures at the Berlin Summer University of the Arts. He joined TACT in 2012.
Stephan studied law, musicology and cultural management 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 and the SWR Symphony Orchestra. He gained valuable experience in the artistic administration of Komische Oper Berlin, as assistant to the Director of the Rundfunkchor Berlin and as personal assistant to the Intendant of Dortmund Opera. In addition, he was also Managing President of a non-profit foundation in Berlin supporting young and talented artists. Stephan was a member of the jury of the European Singing Competition Debut and gives lectures at the Berlin Summer University of the Arts. He joined TACT in 2012.
SETH CARICO
Hailed by Opera News as “powerful in both voice and bearing” and particularly noted for his commanding stage presence and expressive vocalism, bass-baritone Seth Carico is distinguishing himself internationally as an accomplished young American singer. Opera Today praised “the dynamic presence of Carico, whose ringing baritone gave much pleasure.” He effortlessly capitalizes on his dramatic training, bringing a unique sensitivity to operatic characters at disparate ends of the theatrical spectrum. During the 2018-2019 season, Carico appeared as The Doctor in Wozzeck, Kolenatý in The Makropulos Affair, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and as Sancho Pansa in Don Quichotte, all with Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he was in the Ensemble from 2010-2019. He also created the role of Dr. John Polidori in the world premiere of Michael Wertmüller’s Diodati. Unendlich with Theater Basel. The 2019-2020 season will see several important debuts, including Scarpia in Tosca with Staatsoper Hannover, the title role in Don Giovanni with Minnesota Opera, and Hate in Rued Langgaard’s Antikrist with Deutsche Oper Berlin.
In the past nine seasons, Mr. Carico has built a robust repertoire with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, including Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Saint-Bris in Les Huguenots, The Traveler, et al. in Death in Venice, Oberthal in Le Prophete, Gunther in Götterdämmerung, Redburn in Billy Budd, the Police Commissioner in Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk, Klingsor in Parsifal, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Sonora in La Fanciulla del West, Abimélech in Samson et Dalila, and Kassandra in Oresteia, a role for which he was nominated for the 2015 German National Theater Prize, “Der Faust,” for Best Male Singer. In addition, he has portrayed Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Biterolf in Tannhäuser, Farfarello in L’amour des trois oranges, Panthée in Les Troyens, the villains in Offenbach/Champert’s Hoffmann, Andrew Cunanan in the world premiere of Brandt Brauer Frick’s electronic opera Gianni, and The Father in the world premiere of Aribert Reimann’s L’invisible.
Guest engagements internationally have included Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Minnesota Opera, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress with Theater Basel, Leporello in Don Giovanni with Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Utah Opera and Tulsa Opera, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Saratoga, Panthée in Les Troyens with Staatsoper Hamburg, Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro with Oper Leipzig, The Sacristan in Tosca with Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, Roberto in I vespri siciliani and Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata with Teatro Regio Torino, Leonidas in Lysistrata and Victor in the world premiere of Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera, The Doctor in the world premiere of Stephan Peiffer’s Vom Ende der Unschuld at Kampnagel in Hamburg, King Rene in Iolanta with Dicapo Opera, Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen and George Jones in Street Scene with Chautauqua Opera, The King in The King and I and Leporello in Don Giovanni with Ash Lawn Opera, Doctor Grenville in La Traviata, Alessio in La sonnambula, and Marquis de Brisaille in the world premiere of David DiChiera’s Cyrano with Michigan Opera Theatre.
Concert appearances have included Bach’s Kantate Nr. 82, Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s The Messiah, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and Mozart’s Requiem, with orchestras/festivals including the Cologne Early Music Festival, the Nashville Symphony, the Atlanta Ballet, the Chautauqua Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, and the Michigan Sinfonietta. Mr. Carico was invited to offer a recital at the University of Michigan of Dvořák’s Cypřiše, accompanied by renowned pianist and specialist in Czech music, Timothy Cheek.
In the summer of 2012, Seth joined the prestigious Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera Center, finishing years of successful apprenticeships with companies such as Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Regio Torino, Fort Worth Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Nashville Opera, Lake George Opera, and Chautauqua Opera. Featured early roles include Olin Blitch in Susannah, Kecal in Prodaná Nevěsta, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Colline in La bohème, and Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Seth won Fourth Prize in the Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year competition, the Grand Prize of the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, and an Encouragement Award from the Chautauqua Opera Guild.
Hailed by Opera News as “powerful in both voice and bearing” and particularly noted for his commanding stage presence and expressive vocalism, bass-baritone Seth Carico is distinguishing himself internationally as an accomplished young American singer. Opera Today praised “the dynamic presence of Carico, whose ringing baritone gave much pleasure.” He effortlessly capitalizes on his dramatic training, bringing a unique sensitivity to operatic characters at disparate ends of the theatrical spectrum. During the 2018-2019 season, Carico appeared as The Doctor in Wozzeck, Kolenatý in The Makropulos Affair, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and as Sancho Pansa in Don Quichotte, all with Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he was in the Ensemble from 2010-2019. He also created the role of Dr. John Polidori in the world premiere of Michael Wertmüller’s Diodati. Unendlich with Theater Basel. The 2019-2020 season will see several important debuts, including Scarpia in Tosca with Staatsoper Hannover, the title role in Don Giovanni with Minnesota Opera, and Hate in Rued Langgaard’s Antikrist with Deutsche Oper Berlin.
In the past nine seasons, Mr. Carico has built a robust repertoire with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, including Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Saint-Bris in Les Huguenots, The Traveler, et al. in Death in Venice, Oberthal in Le Prophete, Gunther in Götterdämmerung, Redburn in Billy Budd, the Police Commissioner in Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk, Klingsor in Parsifal, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Sonora in La Fanciulla del West, Abimélech in Samson et Dalila, and Kassandra in Oresteia, a role for which he was nominated for the 2015 German National Theater Prize, “Der Faust,” for Best Male Singer. In addition, he has portrayed Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Biterolf in Tannhäuser, Farfarello in L’amour des trois oranges, Panthée in Les Troyens, the villains in Offenbach/Champert’s Hoffmann, Andrew Cunanan in the world premiere of Brandt Brauer Frick’s electronic opera Gianni, and The Father in the world premiere of Aribert Reimann’s L’invisible.
Guest engagements internationally have included Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Minnesota Opera, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress with Theater Basel, Leporello in Don Giovanni with Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Utah Opera and Tulsa Opera, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Saratoga, Panthée in Les Troyens with Staatsoper Hamburg, Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro with Oper Leipzig, The Sacristan in Tosca with Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, Roberto in I vespri siciliani and Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata with Teatro Regio Torino, Leonidas in Lysistrata and Victor in the world premiere of Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera, The Doctor in the world premiere of Stephan Peiffer’s Vom Ende der Unschuld at Kampnagel in Hamburg, King Rene in Iolanta with Dicapo Opera, Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen and George Jones in Street Scene with Chautauqua Opera, The King in The King and I and Leporello in Don Giovanni with Ash Lawn Opera, Doctor Grenville in La Traviata, Alessio in La sonnambula, and Marquis de Brisaille in the world premiere of David DiChiera’s Cyrano with Michigan Opera Theatre.
Concert appearances have included Bach’s Kantate Nr. 82, Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s The Messiah, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and Mozart’s Requiem, with orchestras/festivals including the Cologne Early Music Festival, the Nashville Symphony, the Atlanta Ballet, the Chautauqua Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, and the Michigan Sinfonietta. Mr. Carico was invited to offer a recital at the University of Michigan of Dvořák’s Cypřiše, accompanied by renowned pianist and specialist in Czech music, Timothy Cheek.
In the summer of 2012, Seth joined the prestigious Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera Center, finishing years of successful apprenticeships with companies such as Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Regio Torino, Fort Worth Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Nashville Opera, Lake George Opera, and Chautauqua Opera. Featured early roles include Olin Blitch in Susannah, Kecal in Prodaná Nevěsta, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Colline in La bohème, and Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Seth won Fourth Prize in the Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year competition, the Grand Prize of the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, and an Encouragement Award from the Chautauqua Opera Guild.
ANASTASIA NIKOLOV
Soprano Anastasia Nikolov started her musical training at the age of 5, studying piano. She was a member of the Bulgarian National Theater Youth Ensemble, where she was cast in numerous main stage and touring productions. Her training at the National Theatre included acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance. Other musical studies also included percussion and classical guitar.
Ms. Nikolov commenced her vocal training in Bulgaria and continued it at the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. During the 2003-2004 season she as a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artists Program and was invited to return as a main stage Young Resident Artist with the company for the 2004-2005 season.
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. Nikolov 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 piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opera 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 (Berlin Classic Players, Berliner Philharmonie); 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. Nikolov has also given numerous concert recitals in the United States and in Europe.
Soprano Anastasia Nikolov started her musical training at the age of 5, studying piano. She was a member of the Bulgarian National Theater Youth Ensemble, where she was cast in numerous main stage and touring productions. Her training at the National Theatre included acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance. Other musical studies also included percussion and classical guitar.
Ms. Nikolov commenced her vocal training in Bulgaria and continued it at the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. During the 2003-2004 season she as a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artists Program and was invited to return as a main stage Young Resident Artist with the company for the 2004-2005 season.
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. Nikolov 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 piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opera 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 (Berlin Classic Players, Berliner Philharmonie); 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. Nikolov has also given numerous concert recitals in the United States and in Europe.
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.
As a soprano she has appeared in more than 20 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, the Waldvogel in Siegfried, Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, 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.”
Recent performances have included the roles of Adele in Die Fledermaus, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde at Kloster Chorin, Germany; Musetta in La Bohème and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Puccini's Toaster in Berlin; the Soprano solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, and Fauré's Requiem, all in Berlin; a concert of music by the American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles in Düsseldorf, Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany; Lovers’ Quarrels, a concert of operatic duets and arias with her husband, Peter Furlong, 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. She recently produced a concert of The AIDS Quilt Songbook as a benefit concert for the Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.
Ms. Wyma has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe) and the entire Ring Cycle (Opera By Request), 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 will direct Don Pasquale for the Choriner Opernsommer this June at Kloster Chorin, Germany. 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.
As a costume designer Ms. Wyma 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 has also worked as a bridal alterations specialist in Bloomington, Indiana and New York City. 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. Ms. Wyma 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, Ms. Wyma’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 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.
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.
As a soprano she has appeared in more than 20 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, the Waldvogel in Siegfried, Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, 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.”
Recent performances have included the roles of Adele in Die Fledermaus, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde at Kloster Chorin, Germany; Musetta in La Bohème and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Puccini's Toaster in Berlin; the Soprano solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, and Fauré's Requiem, all in Berlin; a concert of music by the American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles in Düsseldorf, Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany; Lovers’ Quarrels, a concert of operatic duets and arias with her husband, Peter Furlong, 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. She recently produced a concert of The AIDS Quilt Songbook as a benefit concert for the Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.
Ms. Wyma has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe) and the entire Ring Cycle (Opera By Request), 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 will direct Don Pasquale for the Choriner Opernsommer this June at Kloster Chorin, Germany. 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.
As a costume designer Ms. Wyma 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 has also worked as a bridal alterations specialist in Bloomington, Indiana and New York City. 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. Ms. Wyma 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, Ms. Wyma’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 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.