Singers going to audition in Germany in the spring need to be aware that the time around Easter is very slow because it is the second most important holiday period, lasting anywhere from two to three weeks, depending where people live, and many casting directors, Intendants (General Directors) and GMD’s (General Music Directors) may not be around. This year, Easter falls on March 31, so the time from about March 20 until April 6 will be slow for auditions.
Holidays are a tricky thing in Germany and take some getting used to. There are lots of them and they are regulated by both national and state governments and they are a particularly German combination of history, religion, politics and bureaucracy.
There are two types of legal holidays:
Ferien/ Schulferien : This is when schools are closed. They are often a time for extended vacation time.
Feiertage, or Holidays : This is when banks, government offices and many businesses are closed. They can vary from state to state (Bundesland/Bundeländer) and you have to check them carefully, depending where you’re located.
There is a great website www.schulferien.org which keeps track of it all. It takes some time getting used to, especially in the original German, but a good version in English is at https://www.holidays-info.com/germany/school-holidays/