80 YEARS AGO TODAY
Berlin has made it a holiday but not all of Germany. As you can see from the newspaper it was also a Thursday. My aunt was 24. It was the last thing I cleared out from her apartment, in the back of a closet.
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MayDay!
I went to see Norma at the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden and couldn’t take the bus from the Brandenburger Tor (Gate) station, where my local train stopped. There was a demonstration planned, and the police had blocked off the main drag, which is Unter den Linden (Under the Lindewn Trees). No bus, so we …
Casting: Before & After Easter-‘zeit’
Before Easter, theaters begin to slow down in business as the holiday approaches. However, after Easter theaters get serious about finalizing casting for next season. For those who are also serious about getting a career going here the best strategy is simple: be here and be ready for auditions. If you’re a seasoned performer, keep …
The Importance of Unions in the German Theatre System
I once had an Operndirektor who said “Theaters make the coffee, and the singers are the coffee beans”. Grind ‘em up and throw ‘em out. He later became an Intendant. Tough reality to understand that is how many in leadership think, but this is why we have UNIONS. If you are a working singer in …
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Bronchitis Tips and Tricks
One of our OperGermany devotees is managing a budding career in Germany, running back and forth from a Stückvertrag – a role in a production, to a jump in which ended up as a long run in the role. This singer has an agent who is getting work and auditions as well! Great, but in …
Hot Off The Presses
This will directly affect any singer who gets a guest contract in a German opera house! It happened yesterday, March 7. The Theater Worker’s Union (GDBA) and the group representing all German opera houses (Deutsche Bühnen Verein) reached an agreement which governs all Guest Contracts. It goes into effect June 1, so if you get …
A Word About Holidays
Today, January 6, is a normal business day in Berlin and Saarbrücken, so I called my health insurer with a question. They gave me a direct number to call in München. Seems straightforward enough, right? BUT NO! You’re in Germany and holidays pop up like mushrooms after the rain. In Bayern (Bavaria), where München is, …
Winter Solstice
Today is the shortest day of the year: in Berlin the sun rose at 8.14 am and set at 3.54pm. Dusk starts about 2.30pm! It can be pretty brutal, especially considering the often overcast and rainy weather. In contrast in New York City the sun rose at 7.16am and set at 4.32pm. My daughter used …
Einen frohen zweiten Advent!
That’s the second Sunday before Christmas. It’s old fashioned but real in Germany. People are generally nicer, so enjoy it! It won’t last forever and the Christmas markets make up for the ridiculously early sunsets. Plus there’s always Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and lots of festival performances and concerts, so singers can sock away some …
A Slice of Post Operatic Life
So here I am, a retired old opera singer living near my grandchildren in Berlin and I have to get a notarized form saying I’m still alive so I can keep getting monthly retirement benefits. After a little back and forth with the nice person at the Pension Fund for former theater employees (imagine that!) …