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!) …
Studio – Training or Cheap Labor? From my conversations with agents I gather that studio programs can be tremendously variable, from cheap labor or inexpensive cover and rehearsal drudge work to a legitimate part of an ensemble, singing small parts with big people, gaining high level knowledge at a good address and maybe growing into …
I just had a lovely chat with a top notch agent in Berlin and he told me a lot about how they hear auditions. Understanding this can clarify and enrich the choice of audition repertoire. It’s in the nature of singing to think narrowly and short term – the next high note or the effect …
Young singers have a super wide horizon but no depth. They know lots about what’s going on today, but nothing about who did what 50 years ago. For lots of things it doesn’t matter, but for opera it does, and agents complain about it. Not knowing who Hans Hotter or Renate Tebaldi were means there’s …
It’s a big deal and will affect you more than people already in the system, so PAY ATTENTION! It’s complicated and very German but it may affect everything from how long you have to rehearse and what roles you might sing to your retirement. It’s called the NV Solo, (Normalvertrag/Solist-the Standard Contract for Soloists) and …
For our latest interview, Oper Germany is thrilled to speak with British mezzo-soprano Lorna Price of www.germanformusicians.co.uk. In our interview you’ll learn Lorna’s most recommended methods for learning German, how musicians have natural advantages when it comes to learning languages, and the best online tools you can use to enhance your German studies. …
Interview: Learning the German Language with Lorna Price Read More »
For those of you looking for a Fest engagement this is a good time to start with a private agent or directly with theaters. Theaters must notify singers whose contracts will not renew by mid October, and singers must notify the theater by October 31 if they do not wish to renew their contract. There …
One of the highlights of our latest interview is that singers already have the skill set to learn to speak German. Not from books and word lists, but by real world experience, listening and figuring things out. This is how singer and certified Goethe Institute teacher Lorna Price and many European language teachers approach language …
Hi OperGermany readers, Heather Phillips here, associate editor for OperGermany. Earlier this summer in June, I jumped into a production of Don Giovanni at Landestheater Coburg as Donna Anna. It was a whirlwind 48 hours, but I was able to VLOG most of my experience on my cell phone, as I wanted to give you …
VLOG: Behind the Scenes of an Einspringen (Jump-In)! Read More »
Summer Vacation (Schulferien/Sommerferien), is the six weeks when theaters close and many Germans take long vacations. This will be over by the end of August with two major exceptions; Bayern (where Munich is) and Baden-Würtenburg (where Stuttgart is located). These two Bundesländer (States) always have their summer vacations at the same time. Like all the …
Summer is ending…know when “Sommerferien” ends for each German State! Read More »