THE OPERA STUDIO NRW extended
State government continues joint initiative of the Dortmund, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Wuppertal opera houses
The newly founded Opera Studio NRW (North Rhine Westphalia, Germany) is a collaboration between four theatres of international reknown: Oper Dortmund, Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen and Oper Wuppertal all together offer artists a practical programme helping them to start a career in the world of opera.
„YOU ARE BORN WITH A SOUND; EVERYONE IS.
AND THIS SOUND HAS TO BE DEVELOPED.“
(MONSERRAT CABALLÉ)
The newly founded Opera Studio NRW is a collaboration between four independent full-season opera companies: Oper Dortmund, Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen and Oper Wuppertal. The Opera Studio is exclusively designed for young vocal artists and young vocal coaches who have successfully accomplished their Master‘s studies. The regular duration of membership is two years.
Aim of the Opera Studio NRW is to provide a better transition between studies to the professional world for young singers and coaches. Highly talented young artists will be given the opportunity to participate in professional main-stage productions of even four internationally renowned theatres and to work with excellent stage-directors, coaches, conductors and orchestras. Like that they will acquire a wide repertoire from baroque to modern opera, operette, musical and concert. Apart from roles-studies, the members will receive regular training in stage-movement, stage language, interpretation etc. and will take part in a series of high profile Master Classes with invited guest-artists. In every season there will be one opera-production realized by the members of the Opernstudio.
All this will be realized by four opera institutions located no further apart than 45 minutes by train. Each opera house will host another aspect of the programme. The Opera Studio NRW can host up to seven singers and one vocal coach. Payment will be according to the German standard contract „Normalvertrag Solo“. We are dedicated to provide extra support for those who are challenged.
The Opera Studio is founded by the federal state of North Rhine Westphalia and will welcome its first members in September 2019.
Culture in NRW
The cultural landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the most creative regions of the world. Its unique amount of theatres and concert halls, their high quality and not to forget the Buildings developed by star architects bring international reputation.
With 18 public theatres of the cities, four state theatres and over 139 theatre stages of 17.84 million inhabitants, North Rhine-Westphalia shows the highest theatre concentration of all German states with 15 opera houses, 22 orchestras, 13 ballet companies and 20 straight theatres. About 800 different productions are presented per year, among them 100 new productions in the music theatre. Names like Pina Bausch, Max Ernst, Emil Schumacher, Joseph Beuys or the married couple Becher stand for the artistic avant-garde of world-class, not to mention the names of passed days like van Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann or Heine and Böll associated with North Rhine-Westphalia. Furthermore the varied programme, the experimental character – as part of international festivals like Ruhrtriennale or Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen – and the high acceptance by the audience distinguish the theatre landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia.