- The opera has begun: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- Die Oper hat begonnen: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- The opera has begun: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- Die Oper hat begonnen: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- The opera has begun: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- Die Oper hat begonnen: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- The opera has begun: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
- Die Oper hat begonnen: 14.11.2020, 15:02:13
T e a m
Agnes Oberauer
(Director, Concept)
(Director, Concept)
Agnes Oberauer is a freelance director and performance artist from Austria. She grew up internationally, spending her childhood in Vienna, Moscow, and Kiev before moving to the UK to study Drama and Philosophy. Along with her studies, she furthered her knowledge in opera directing by completing internships in various opera productions (Royal Opera House London, Salzburger Festspiele, Opernhaus Zürich) with directors such as Willy Decker and Alvis Hermanis.
After completing her BA at the Royal Holloway University of London she moved to Germany where she worked as a resident assistant director and director at Schlosstheater Celle and Thalia Theater Hamburg for five years. During this time, she directed over ten theatre productions and worked as an assistant director with internationally acclaimed artists such as Jette Steckel, Kornél Mundruczó and Christiane Jatahy. In 2016 she received a special honor from the city of Celle for her intercultural work including the multilingual version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Schlosstheater Celle).
Besides her work as a director and assistant director, she has initiated various art projects, worked for theatre festivals, and taught workshops. Most recently she has created the solo performance Hubris 12:4 [a hero’s journey] at Von Krahl Theatre/EMTA in 2020 and directed an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis “Der Samsa in mir” at Thalia Theater Hamburg in 2019.
Kathryn Wieckhorst
(Producer, Soprano)
(Producer, Soprano)
Kathryn Wieckhorst, born in New York, is a soprano living in Hamburg. Roles she has played are: Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte; Violetta in La Traviata; Lady with a cake box in Postcard from Morocco; the title role in Suor Angelica; the Lady with the tattoos in Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro; Musetta in La Bohéme; Micaela in Carmen, and Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, among other roles studied. She has performed with companies such as the Long Island Opera Company, the Montclair Opera Theater, the Bel Cantanti Opera, the Festival of the Aegean, and more.
In July 2013 she made her international debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosí fan tutte at the Festival of the Aegean in Syros, Greece and Mme. Goldentrill in Mozart's The Impresario. Kathryn has appeared twice as a soloist in Carnegie Hall with MidAmerica Productions and sang the soprano solos in John Rutter’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Internationally, she has been a featured soloist with MIDAM International at Santa Croce Church in Florence, Italy. Kathryn has also been a soloist with the Gemini Youth Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, the Nova Philharmonic, OperaOggi, as a soloist in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick, and the Brooklyn Queens Conservatory Summer Opera Series.
Since moving to Hamburg, Kathryn has performed numerous recitals (Thomaskirche in Rothenburgsort, Wasserkunst Elbinsel Kaltehofe, Wohnzimmerliebe Series). She has also performed with the Bergedorfer Musiktage, the Lange Nacht der Literatur in Hamburg and in collaboration with visual artists at Levantehaus in Hamburg and Carlshöhe in Eckernförde. As a talented interpreter of contemporary music, Kathryn works with a number of living composers, including Ellen Mandel, Lori Laitman, Joel Mandelbaum, Bruce Saylor, Mario Stork, Daniel Felsenfeld and many more. Most recently, she sang the European premiere of Ein Liebesbrief von Rosa Luxemburg by composer Leonard Lehrman.Kathryn is the co-founder of Project SkyCradle, Gbr, and Wirklichmacher e.V. in Hamburg, which strive to bring affordable theater and music experiences to the community. She is also the current Managing Diva of Opera on Tap’s Hamburg chapter. Kathryn holds a Masters in Music from Queens College in New York and a Bachelor in Music from Hofstra University.
Alexander Mottok
(Musical Direction)
(Musical Direction)
Alexander Mottok studied choral conducting and orchestra conducting with Erich Wächter, Thomas Lang, and Gerd Müller-Lorenz as well as with James Daugherty and Larry Dalton in the USA. He also studied Violin with Christiane Edinger at the Musikhochschule Lübeck. During his studies he collected experience as a conductor and concertmaster by founding the orchestra “Collegium Musicum Lübeck”, a professional ensemble consisting of freelance musicians and selected college students that still exists today and continues to play symphony concerts, CD-recordings, TV- and radio productions, film music and to accompany oratorios.
Since 1999 he has been a freelance conductor, mostly concentrating on new music. He has conducted numerous world premieres, a variety of rarely played works (for example the Kammerkonzert by Alan Berg). His work as a guest conductor and assistant conductor have led him, among others, to the Haydn-Orchester Hamburg, the Oldenburger Kammersymphonie, the Lübecker Chor der Singeleiter as well as the university orchestra of Virginia College in Wise (USA). As head conductor and artistic director of the Norddeutsche Hanse-Philharmonie, he regularly conducts productions of the Bremen Musical Theatre. He has recorded numerous CDS for different record labels (Gateway, 4M, EMI Classics) with the Hamburger Gateway Symphony Orchestra.
Since 1999 he has been a conductor for the Stader Kammerorchester. Since autumn 2003, he has been artistic director and chief conductor of the Deutsche Ärzteorchester. In 2007, he founded the Deutsche Ärztechor and in 2016 he became the director of the Ernst Barlach Symphonieorchestra in Kiel. Alexander Mottok has worked across multiple genres with artists such as the guitarrist Gerardo Núñez, the dancer Carmen Cortés, the singer Ken Norris, and the Kenyan pop-musician Eric Wainain, as well as the classical soloists James Tocco, Veronika Eberle, Daniel Röhm, and Natalia Prischepenko.
Alongside his work as a conductor, Mottok continues to work as a violinist, working with different chamber ensembles (i.e. The London Crystal Palace Quartet) and as a soloist in France, the UK, and in the USA. He also works as a recording manager, line producer and composer. His compositions include, among others, the 33 Klang-Bilder to pictures of Christa Donatius (2008) and the Impressions (2013).
T e a m
Julia B. Nowikowa
(Production design, stage design)
(Production design, stage design)
Julia B. Nowikowa was born in St.Petersburg, Russia and studied painting, dramaturgy, costume design and stage design at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences under professors Dirk von Bodisco and Manfred Großmann.
From 1999 to 2005, she worked as assistant stage designer at the Thalia Theater, Deutsches Schauspielhaus, St. Pauli Theater in Hamburg, and at the German National Theater & Staatskapelle in Weimar. Since 2005 she has been working as a freelance visual artist, illustrator, stage- and costume designer for operas, musicals, drama, and dance, as well as for various theaters and book publishers. As a lecturer, she was active at the German Student Academy, for the Festival of Young Artists Bayreuth and the Georgia State University of Theater and Film in Tbilisi.
She has worked as a set- and costume designer for the Hessisches Landestheater Marburg, Schauspiel Frankfurt, the Theater Freiburg, the Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken, the Tumanishvili Theater and the Royal District Theater in Tbilisi, for the Festival of Young Artists Bayreuth, at the Deutschem Theater in Göttingen, at the German National Theater and Staatskapelle Weimar, at the Elbphilharmonie and Kampnagel in Hamburg.
Dirk Schattner
(Producer)
Dirk Schattner (Producer)
Dirk Schattner is a director, author, producer. and dramaturg. In the past years he has shown a multiplicity of musical theatre works in Germany, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, and Greece. Between 2003 and 2007 he directed a row of productions for the Deutsche Nationaltheater Weimer from the genres of Opera, operetta, musical and theatre, including Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne, Heiner Müllers Bildbeschreibung, and a film version of the oratorio The Book with the Seven Seals by Franz Schmidt.
Moreover, his musical Der Graf from Gleichen played three successful summer seasons in Wandersleben, Thüringen. From 2004 to 2014, he was the leading dramaturg of the Festival of Young Artists in Bayreuth. Since 2007, he has been a professor at the Deutsche Schülerakademie.
As part of the culture capital programme RUHR.2010, he produced more than 80 short films based on the opera Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini for the project Internet Opera. For the International Festival of the Aegean in Syros, Greece, he directed Salome by Richard Strauss in 2012, Cosi von Tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 2013, Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi as a 150-year jubilee production in 2014, Cherubini’s Medea in 2016, and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in 2016.
He lives and works in Hamburg-Rothenburgsort, where his production company “Skycradle” produces music- and theatre productions, most notably the musical “Nimmerwiedermehr” about the children’s hospital of Rothenburgsort, and the European premier of the opera “A Love Letter from Rosa Luxemburg” by Leonard Lehrman.
Weise(Costume)
Gianna-Sophia Weise(Costume)
studied scenography and costume design with a focus on costume design at the Hanover University of Design and Media. From 2016-2019 she worked as a costume assistant at the Thalia Theater. During this time she worked on several projects as a costume and set designer. Gianna-Sophia has been working as a freelancer since 2019.
Christian Striboll
(Documentation, video)
(Documentation, video)
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Remi Laversanne
(Chor)
Remi Laversanne (Choir)
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. In enim justo, rhoncus ut, imperdiet a, venenatis vitae, justo. Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt. Cras dapibus. Vivamus elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Aliquam lorem ante, dapibus in, viverra quis, feugiat a, tellus. Phasellus viverra nulla ut metus varius laoreet. Quisque rutrum. Aenean imperdiet. Etiam ultricies nisi vel augue. Curabitur ullamcorper ultricies nisi. Nam eget dui. Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc,
Singer
Elizabet Smalley
(Soprano)
Elizabeth Smalley (Soprano)
The Australian soprano Elizabeth Smalley commenced her Bachelor studies in classical voice at the Queensland Conservatory in her teenage years while still in high school.
During this time, she was engaged with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions where she performed “Grand Pianola Music” by John Adams and the world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernins “Symphonia Eluvium”, which was streamed in the Australian TV-series Artscape.
Following this, Elizabeth moved to Sydney where she received her postgraduate diploma in classical voice. She sang soprano solos in multiple oratorio performances as well as roles like Zerlina (Don Giovanni, Mozart) and Suor Osmina (Suor Angelica, Puccini), for Opera Projects Sydney and Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor, Mozart) for Bare Bones Opera as well as “Young Vixen” (The Cunning Little Vixen, Janáček) during her year as upcoming young artist at the pacific opera.
Elizabeth’s career as a singer led her to New York City and London, where she studied with teachers and répétiteurs of the Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden. She was invited as a young artist by the International Performing Arts Institute Bavaria twice. Since moving to Germany in 2018 Elizabeth has continued her private studies doing song evenings in Gasteig (München) as well as working as a soloist in freelance productions.
Stepan Karelin
(Baritone)
(Baritone)
Stephan Karelin was born in Russia. He studied at the Kunstuniversität Graz, graduating in 2014. As part of his studies he sang various roles, including in Die Zauberflöte and Viva La Mamma by G.Donizetti. After completing his studies he performed in various operas, portraying roles such as The Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Toffolo in Paganini, Belcore in L'êlisir d'amore and Morales in Carmen.
2014 he became part of the musical ensemble “Sound of Austria GmbH”. In 2018 he commenced an internship with Elena Pankratova, debuting as Escamillo in the Ernst Deutsch Theater production of Carmen. In the same year, he became part of the ensemble of Opernloft Theater Hamburg, where he sang the role of Albert in Werther. In 2019 he won first prize in the “Bergedorf Classic'' competition.
2020 he won three important competitions in Russia: the “Big Romansiada '' competition, the international competition “Music of the Stars” and the “III festival Competition” of contemporary music after N.Struve. He has also performed as a concert singer in various European countries, mostly in Germany, Austria, Poland and Russia.
Since 2008 he has lived in Austria.
Dimitri Pisarev
(Baritone)
Dimitri Pisarev (Baritone)
Dimitri Pisarev was born in Leningrad and completed his studies at the Glinka Choir school (choir director: Alexander Lukyanov) in St. Petersburg with honors. He continued his studies of singing, conducting, and choir music at the Herzen Universität (Nikolai Dumtsev) and at the St. Petersburg conservatory (Tatyana Khitrowa).
In 2013 he became part of the ensemble at the Zazerkalie Theatre in St.Petersburg where he played an array of different roles. He also performed recitals and symphonic concerts in St. Petersburg and beyond, including K.Orffs Carmina Burana and S.Rachmaninows The spring.
In the same year Dimitri Pisarev became artistic director of a men’s choir he co-founded with Kirill Markow. The choir gained a reputation beyond Russia’s borders and was reviewed by the international newspapers such as „The Telegraph,“„The Daily Mail“ (UK), „Le Figaro“ (France), and „Fudder“ (Germany). In 2014 Dimitri Pisarev became a soloist in the men’s ensemble „Optyna Pustyn,“ performing and recording old music under the direction of Alexander Semenov. He has worked with conductors including M. Jansons, V. Gergiev, F.-X. Roth, J. Temirkanov, G. Garcia Calvo, G. Roschdestwenski, L. Krämer, N. Alekseev and V. Chernushenko.
His concert activities have led him to perform all over Russia (including Palace square, Red square as well as the St. Petersburg, Moscow and Novosibirsk philharmonics) and on stages all over the world, including the Elbphilharmonie and Laieszhalle in Germany. He has also performed in China, Finland, Sweden and Turkey.
Since 2018 he has lived in Hamburg.
Peter Frank
(Baritone)
Peter Frank (Baritone)
Peter Frank,born in 1963 in Hannover, studied at the Hochschule für Musik and Theater Hannover, graduating with a diploma in school music, vocal pedadogy, and opera. In 1986, he received a scholarship from the Richard-Wagner Association. From 1988 onwards he sang lyrical baritone roles in various opera-, operetta- and musical productions, performing on stages including the Oldenburgische Staatstheater, the Volkstheater Bautzen, the TfN Hildesheim and the Niedersächsische Staatstheater Hannover. From 1993 until 1999 he was part of the ensemble of the Brandenburger Theater.
His repertoire includes count Almaviva (The marriage of Figaro), Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), Figaro and Dr.Bartolo (The barber of Seville), Papageno (The magic flute), Peter (Hänsel und Gretel), Silvio (The Bajazzo) and many others. He also toured as a concert singer through Europe and the USA and participated in broadcasting and CD-productions including P.Herreweghe, G.Leonard, S.Preston, G.A.Albrecht and H.Henning (EMI-Classics, THOROFON, Teldec).
He composed the musicals “Der Graf von Gleichen” (2006) and “Jesus-ganz.nah.dran” (2013). His work in singing pedagogy led him to the Musikhochschule Hannover (1995-2004), Würzburg (since 2004) and Weimar (since 2019).
S
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Sashell Beck
(Soprano)
Sashell Beck (Soprano)
Sashell Beck is a soprano from California, currently living in Germany. Before moving to Europe, she obtained her musical degree from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at the California State University of Long Beach. Her studies were enhanced by Masterclasses led by Carol Vaness, Dolores Ziegler, Sheryl Studer, Roberta Alexander, Sheri Greenawald, Neil Semer, Edith Mathis, and Janet Williams and others. In 2012 she was the first prize winner of the Rio Hondo Young Artist Competition, in the 2013 the Beverly Hills Concert Series and a finalist in many more.
She has also participated in many opera summer programs including Opera Works’ Advanced Artist Program, CoOperative, and The Opera Academy of California. She has much orchestral concert experience including Mahler’s 4th Symphony, the Coronation Mass by Mozart, Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, and a new Requiem by Juan Carlos Villaseñor Patiño.
Before moving to Germany she was featured in many operas with Center Stage Opera in Southern California, taking on the roles of Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Musetta in a semi-staged version of Puccini’s La Boheme, Mademoiselle Silberklang in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor, as well as Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore.
She moved to Germany in 2014. where she was cast in the ensemble of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Das Phantom der Oper with Stage Entertainment in Hamburg. Since then, she has been performed Despina in Così fan tutte with the Bergedorfer Musiktage, Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with The Berlin Opera Group. In 2018 she premiered the role of Ellén in Ellén, a one-woman opera written with her in mind by Juan Carlos Villaseñor Patiño with Opera de Hidalgo in Mexico City.
Last year she played Donatella and assistant directed a production of Piazza Navona, a new comic opera by Christof Bergman. Most recently she appeared as soprano soloist in the Germany- wide tour “A World of Musicals”. In addition to her work as a singer, she is a voice and acting coach
Dancer
Franklyn aka„Slunch“
Kakyire (Dancer)
Franklyn aka „Slunch“ Kakyire (Dancer)
Franklyn aka “Slunch” Kakyire was born in Hamburg-Eppendorf in 1989 and started his path as a dancer 2006 with background choreographies in the style LA Performance. In the following years he also expanded his skills in other styles such as hip-hop dance, house dance and some b-boying floor movements. Since 2007 he is part of the Hiphop Academy, joining the master class in 2008 and becoming part of the dance ensemble, the highest performance level of the project in 2010.
He has worked with numerous artists including Xavier Naidoo (“Alles Kann Besser Werden” video), Kim Gloss (“Famous in paris” video), the Band Anajo (“Jungs weinen nicht”) and Africa Bambaataa (“It’s my Funk video). Franklyn “Slunch” Kakyire has also performed in numerous dance theatre productions and worked as a dancer with renowned choreographers and directors including Contanza Macras (Distortion), Samir Akika (660@K6 & Welle:Asphaltkultur), Nuran David Calis (Einer von uns) and Niels Robitzky aka Storm (Schöner Wohnen).
In 2010 the piece Schöner Wohnen was invited to the Expo in Shanghai. In the following year he was booked for a show in Los Angeles where he could put his skills to the test at the L.A. Carnival. He has performed in cities including New York, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Since 2016 he has worked with artists such as Eko Fresh and Samy Deluxe and is a fixed part of the trainer team for the Deluxe Kids organisation. Since 2018 he has been part of the ensemble of Nïm Dance Company. He has performed multiple solos and duets on national and international stages. Frankly Kakyire won the Juste Debout Qualification in Seoul in
2019 and has competed as one of the 16 best teams worldwide in the international Juste Debout in Paris. Moreover, he won the first edition of Red Bull Dance Your Style in Germany.
Gottfried Aden
(Dancer)
Gottfried Aden (Dancer)
Gottfried Aden is 23 years old and a passionate dancer. He joined HipHop Academy five years ago. Two years ago he joined the level 3 dance group “To The Fullest”. Since then, he has performed in the yearly Gala on the K6 stage Kampnagel.
With his dance crew “To The Fullest” he has performed in a variety of events including “Battlefield 2019: Catch the Crown”, the “Freespirit Festival” and a live performance in the Kuppel.
DEYSE IZABELLA KOLASKA Y OSANO
(Dancer)
Deyse Izabella Kolaska y Osano (Dancer)
Deyse Isabella Kolaska y Osano was born in Spain. Due to her Brazilian and Polish roots, she has had a close connection to music and language from childhood. She has been dancing her entire life and was given her first dance lessons at the age of 13 in the Kinder- und Jugendhaus Clippo in Lohbrügger.
In 2016, after finishing high school, she commenced her artistic journey as a dancer. Since 2016 she has been a show dancer with SpecialOne. In 2017 she became part of the Calypso Army (Hip-Hop Academy) and 2019 part of the Apocalypso Crew (HipHop Academy). Moreover, she has performed in various music videos and events, including Kampnagel, Uferfabrik Berlin, Noho, The Room, Golden Kut, Die Kuppel, and Luft und Liebe Festival.
Precious Wiesner
(Dancer)
Precious Wiesner (Dancer)
The singer, actress and passionate dancer Precious Wiesner performed in the musical “Lion King” in Hamburg for four consecutive years. Following this she took part in Kampnagel productions including 12 Yards: Dein Spiel beginnt! (2015), Ich.Du.Wir Supaheelden! (2016), and Pool & Katoulati: Xo'Do-Allokan-Nu Das Wort am Ende des Hörers ( international summer festival 2017). She has also acted in the movie Hier kommt Lola and in the 153rd episode of Die Pfefferkörner.
In 2010 Precious Wiesner opened the jubilee-event at the Millerntor, accompanied by the “Young Spirits Gospel choir”. In the following years she also performed on the “Tag der Legenden” (2011) and the “Nacht der Legenden” (2012).
Since 2013 she has been singing in the yearly gala hosted by the “Hip Hop Academy” on the K6 stage Kampnagel. As part of her work for Hip hop Academy, she has performed in the Elbphilharmonie twice, as well as in the Barclaycard Arena as part of the yearly handball-event. In 2017 she became part of the Gospel Blues Night in Hamburg. In 2018 she performed at a benefit concert of Kiwanis e.V. with the American Jazz musician Kenn Noris. Alongside her work as a performer and singer she also teaches music, dance, and performance, most recently in the project “flüchtLINK” by the organisation Lukulele e.V.
Dancer
Nadja
Hässler
(Dancer)
Nadja Hässler (Dancer)
Nadja Häussler is an urban artist specialized in Popping and Hip Hop with skills in Breakdance and House, with experience in Contemporary dance styles.
She works as a dancer and dance teacher, has participated in international battles and performances and holds a Bachelor in Environmental Science and an MA in Peace and Security Studies.
She initiated the project URBAN INNOVADORS and has performed internationally as a dancer at various stages, battles, and festivals, including Kampnagel, Kunsthalle Hamburg, Respublica Festival Ukraine and Theater der Welt.
Dancer