JMU's 2020 German Opera Experience: apply now!
Are you ready to dance a Can-Can this summer? Check out JMU's German Opera Experience! From May 17 - July 20th we will select 20 students to perform chorus and roles in Lehar's The Merry Widow with a professional company in Schoenebeck, Germany. The course includes for solos with Middle-Germany philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Lieder concerts and German Language instruction for graduate/undergraduate college credit.
Music Theater and Classical Singers as well as collaborative pianists are invited to apply.
Live auditions will be held in January and February. Dates and Locations on our website at: https://www.jmu.edu/global/abroad/programs/jmu-germany-music.shtml
Online Auditions are also accepted at: https://app.getacceptd.com/jmuabroad
Greetings from Anita Bader, the Executive Director of the Middle-Germany Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra:
Dear Ladies, Gentlemen and Prospective Students,
The Schoenebeck Operetta Summer has developed into one of the largest Operetta festivals in Germany in the past 23 years. Located in the magical ambience of the countryside out-door amphitheater next to a zoological garden, we greet an average of 18,000 audience members every year with 22 open air performances.
Our enthusiastic and energetic audiences have come to expect a high artistic quality and professional performance, which we look forward to sharing with you.
For many years, we have employed our state and costume designer TOTO (Torsten Mittelstaedt). His designs are well known both in Germany and internationally for their tastefull, opulent elegance. You will be delighted with your wonderful costumes.
The stage director Katharina Kutil comes from Austria and is a specialist for classical Viennese Operetta wit and humor. As a writer and author, she also will prepare the libretto for our production.
Our new principal conductor of the Middle-Germany Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Jan Michael Horstmann worked fot the Regional Theater of Saxony in Radebeul both as the opera director as well as the musical director from 1012-2017. Before this he was the General Music Director of the middle-Saxony Theater in Freiberg and the chief conductor of the Middle-Saxony Philharmonic Orchestra. He works regularly with the Pina Bausch Wuppertal Dance Company, and has had an extensive conducting career with the Beethovenhalle Orchestra of Bonn, the Hamburg Symphony, the Robert-Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra of Chemnitz, and the Dresden Philharmonic.
Internationally he has performed with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Holland Festival Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, and since 2009 he has worked regularly with the German Chamber Orchestra of Berlin. Alongside his work with us this season, he will make his debut in Paris with the renowned Ensemble Intercontemporain as well as a return invitation to direct the closing concert of the Handel-Festspiele in Halle. You will be well supervised and supported in your musical studies with us!
With this comes a comprehensive program with various workshops and, of course, German language instruction. And, naturally, the performances on-stage as well as various concerts, in which you will have the opporutnity to perform what you have studied with us.
We look forward to seeing you here!
Warmest Regards,
Anita Bader
P.S. Check out the website: http://www.schoenebeck.de
That's the official homepage of the city of Schoenebeck. On the right menu you can find a rider called "Imagefilme Schoenebeck. Seven small films are posted where you can get an impression of the town and the surroundings.
