BRIAN MOLL
DIRECTOR OF BERLIN LIEDER ACADEMY & FESTIVAL
LIEDER COACH
Brian Moll is Chair of the Piano and Collaborative Piano departments at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he teaches classes in chamber music, vocal repertory and diction. He is also on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is instructor or repertoire courses and a coach for the opera department. As a keyboardist he has worked with Emmanuel Music, Boston Baroque, and the Handel & Haydn Chorus and Orchestra and has also served as Assistant Conductor for productions by Boston Lyric Opera, Opera North and Boston Midsummer Opera. He has appeared in the ‘Strings in the Mountains Festival” in Colorado, and at the New Hampshire Music Festival and has been on the summer faculty of the Lied Austria Program in Graz.
A magna cum laude graduate of Hamilton College, Moll earned further degrees from the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria and the University of Michigan School of Music, where he studied with Martin Katz. While in Vienna, he earned diplomas with distinction in piano and organ and also taught as a Fulbright teaching assistant. He has given recitals as a pianist and organist in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, France, and throughout the United States, and has appeared with singers Barbara Kilduff, Barbara Quintiliani, Sheri Greenawald, Wolfgang Brendel, Sir Thomas Allen, Kevin Deas, Yeghishe Manucharyan, and Kelly Kaduce. Moll has appeared in such prestigious halls as Vienna’s Mozartsaal, the Haydnsaal at the Esterhazy Castle in Eisenstadt, Austria, Tokyo’s Lilia Hall, and Boston’s Jordan Hall.
Brian Moll is the Whiting Fellowship Recipient (Harvard University).
DIRECTOR OF BERLIN LIEDER ACADEMY & FESTIVAL
LIEDER COACH
Brian Moll is Chair of the Piano and Collaborative Piano departments at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he teaches classes in chamber music, vocal repertory and diction. He is also on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is instructor or repertoire courses and a coach for the opera department. As a keyboardist he has worked with Emmanuel Music, Boston Baroque, and the Handel & Haydn Chorus and Orchestra and has also served as Assistant Conductor for productions by Boston Lyric Opera, Opera North and Boston Midsummer Opera. He has appeared in the ‘Strings in the Mountains Festival” in Colorado, and at the New Hampshire Music Festival and has been on the summer faculty of the Lied Austria Program in Graz.
A magna cum laude graduate of Hamilton College, Moll earned further degrees from the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria and the University of Michigan School of Music, where he studied with Martin Katz. While in Vienna, he earned diplomas with distinction in piano and organ and also taught as a Fulbright teaching assistant. He has given recitals as a pianist and organist in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, France, and throughout the United States, and has appeared with singers Barbara Kilduff, Barbara Quintiliani, Sheri Greenawald, Wolfgang Brendel, Sir Thomas Allen, Kevin Deas, Yeghishe Manucharyan, and Kelly Kaduce. Moll has appeared in such prestigious halls as Vienna’s Mozartsaal, the Haydnsaal at the Esterhazy Castle in Eisenstadt, Austria, Tokyo’s Lilia Hall, and Boston’s Jordan Hall.
Brian Moll is the Whiting Fellowship Recipient (Harvard University).
PROF. BYRON KNUTSON
MASTERCLASS FACULTY, BERLIN LIEDER AKADEMIE & FESTIVAL
MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Byron Knutson studied piano, conducting, composition and acting in his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada, and in the United States. After completing the Artist Diploma in Opera Coaching at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, he was appointed Visiting Professor of Song Interpretation at Albion College in Michigan.
In 1999, Mr. Knutson moved to Germany, where until 2010 he worked in the opera houses in Kiel, Halle and Augsburg, conducting operatic repertoire from baroque to contemporary, including operetta, musicals and ballet.
In 2010, Mr. Knutson took over the musical direction of the young artist program at the Komische Oper Berlin. While at the KOB, Mr. Knutson conducted works by Handel, Mozart, Weill, Ginastera and a critically acclaimed production of Phlip Glass’ Les enfants terribles directed by Felix Seiler.
Mr. Knutson’s has worked with conductors such as Paolo Arrivabeni (Bellini’s La Straniera; Theater an der Wien), Friedemann Layer (Der Rosenkavalier) Johannes Kalitzke (World Premiere, Olga Neuwirth’s American Lulu), Patrick Lange (Rigoletto), Carl St. Clair (Aribert Reimann’s Lear), Sebastian Lang-Lessing (Der Rosenkavalier, National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing), Christian Curnyn (Castor et Pollux), Lü Jia (Tannhäuser, Beijing). Mr. Knutson has also prepared the casts of Reimann’s Lear and Die Gespenstersonate for productions at Theater an der Wien and in Tokyo.
Mr. Knutson frequently gives Masterclasses in North America, Europe and China.
In 2015 Mr. Knutson was appointed Professor of Operatic Studies at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin.
MASTERCLASS FACULTY, BERLIN LIEDER AKADEMIE & FESTIVAL
MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Byron Knutson studied piano, conducting, composition and acting in his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada, and in the United States. After completing the Artist Diploma in Opera Coaching at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, he was appointed Visiting Professor of Song Interpretation at Albion College in Michigan.
In 1999, Mr. Knutson moved to Germany, where until 2010 he worked in the opera houses in Kiel, Halle and Augsburg, conducting operatic repertoire from baroque to contemporary, including operetta, musicals and ballet.
In 2010, Mr. Knutson took over the musical direction of the young artist program at the Komische Oper Berlin. While at the KOB, Mr. Knutson conducted works by Handel, Mozart, Weill, Ginastera and a critically acclaimed production of Phlip Glass’ Les enfants terribles directed by Felix Seiler.
Mr. Knutson’s has worked with conductors such as Paolo Arrivabeni (Bellini’s La Straniera; Theater an der Wien), Friedemann Layer (Der Rosenkavalier) Johannes Kalitzke (World Premiere, Olga Neuwirth’s American Lulu), Patrick Lange (Rigoletto), Carl St. Clair (Aribert Reimann’s Lear), Sebastian Lang-Lessing (Der Rosenkavalier, National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing), Christian Curnyn (Castor et Pollux), Lü Jia (Tannhäuser, Beijing). Mr. Knutson has also prepared the casts of Reimann’s Lear and Die Gespenstersonate for productions at Theater an der Wien and in Tokyo.
Mr. Knutson frequently gives Masterclasses in North America, Europe and China.
In 2015 Mr. Knutson was appointed Professor of Operatic Studies at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin.
CAROL MASTRODOMENICO
VOICE FACULTY
Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles. She excels in the interpretation of oratorio, and has appeared recently in Poulenc’s Gloria, Beethoven’s Mass in C and Ninth Symphony, Brahms’ Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Mahler’s Second Symphony, Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Fauré’s Requiem.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is an accomplished recitalist, and has recently performed programs ranging from premieres of contemporary music to cabaret programs involving interaction with the audience. She recently toured England with her production of John Morrison’s Jane Austin’s History of England singing the role of Emce. She premiered John McDonald’s Put this in your Pipe and Speech Made by Music with the Essex Chamber Players, and premiered Ellen Bender’s Five Emily Dickinson Songs during New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Festival. Other noted composers she has worked with include Robert DiDomenica and David Leisner. Ms. Mastrodomenico has a great love for Spanish Repertoire, and enjoys programing Spanish and particularly Argentinian songs to introduce the repertoire to her recital audiences.
A champion of vocal chamber music, she has worked with noted musicians premiering new works at contemporary festivals sponsored by BMOP and composer groups at Tufts University and Longy School of Music of Bard College. She has been invited to perform at the Tanglewood Music Center, Jordan Hall, Faneuil Hall, the Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival, the Boston Vocal Artists Series, the 1794 Meeting House concert Series in New Salem, and the Music at Noon Concert Series at the Swedenborg Chapel.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is the stage director of both the Tufts University Opera Ensemble and the Longy School of Music of Bard College’s Opera Theater at Longy. Recent productions she has directed include Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Zwerg, L’amico Fritz, Gianni Schicchi, Three Sisters who are not Sisters, Three Penny Opera, Dido and Aeneas, Old Maid and the Thief, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Riders to the Sea, Gallantry, The Telephone and Doctor Miracle. Ms. Mastrodomenico is a passionate advocate for newly composed works. With the Tufts Opera Ensemble, she commissioned and directed the world premieres of Knave of Hearts by Vartan Aghababian in 2013 and No Onions, nor Garlic by Thomas Stumpf in 2014. With the Longy Opera Workshop, she commissioned and directed the world premiere of Jane Austen’s History of England by John Morrison in 2014. It is her hope to commission a new opera work every year.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is just as passionate about vocal pedagogy and teaching voice. She has participated in panel discussions by the Boston NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Chapter on the different elements of "Teaching Men to Sing", and was invited by the Western Massachusetts NATS chapter to give a solo presentation on Teaching Men. Her master classes at the Classical Singer Convention, Regional NATS workshops and area Colleges are widely attended. At her invitation, renowned pedagogue Ken Bozeman spoke in the Boston area about the Pedagogical Applications of Vocal Acoustics for teaching voice. She developed and annually taught a vocal curriculum for string performers at the Heifetz International Summer Institute in Staunton, Virginia, US.
Ms. Mastrodomenico’s students can be heard singing throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. They have been accepted into graduate and undergraduate programs at Julliard, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Miami, Frost School of Music, Michigan State University, University of Maryland at College Park, Ithaca College, Guild Hall and The Royal Academy of Music in London. Her singers regularly attend young artist programs at Houston Grand Opera Outreach Program, Central City, Berlin Song Festival, Edinburgh Music Festival and Halifax Opera Festival.
Ms. Mastrodomenico received her Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at New England Conservatory of Music. She is on the voice faculties of Longy School of Music of Bard College and Tufts University.
VOICE FACULTY
Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles. She excels in the interpretation of oratorio, and has appeared recently in Poulenc’s Gloria, Beethoven’s Mass in C and Ninth Symphony, Brahms’ Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Mahler’s Second Symphony, Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Fauré’s Requiem.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is an accomplished recitalist, and has recently performed programs ranging from premieres of contemporary music to cabaret programs involving interaction with the audience. She recently toured England with her production of John Morrison’s Jane Austin’s History of England singing the role of Emce. She premiered John McDonald’s Put this in your Pipe and Speech Made by Music with the Essex Chamber Players, and premiered Ellen Bender’s Five Emily Dickinson Songs during New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Festival. Other noted composers she has worked with include Robert DiDomenica and David Leisner. Ms. Mastrodomenico has a great love for Spanish Repertoire, and enjoys programing Spanish and particularly Argentinian songs to introduce the repertoire to her recital audiences.
A champion of vocal chamber music, she has worked with noted musicians premiering new works at contemporary festivals sponsored by BMOP and composer groups at Tufts University and Longy School of Music of Bard College. She has been invited to perform at the Tanglewood Music Center, Jordan Hall, Faneuil Hall, the Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival, the Boston Vocal Artists Series, the 1794 Meeting House concert Series in New Salem, and the Music at Noon Concert Series at the Swedenborg Chapel.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is the stage director of both the Tufts University Opera Ensemble and the Longy School of Music of Bard College’s Opera Theater at Longy. Recent productions she has directed include Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Zwerg, L’amico Fritz, Gianni Schicchi, Three Sisters who are not Sisters, Three Penny Opera, Dido and Aeneas, Old Maid and the Thief, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Riders to the Sea, Gallantry, The Telephone and Doctor Miracle. Ms. Mastrodomenico is a passionate advocate for newly composed works. With the Tufts Opera Ensemble, she commissioned and directed the world premieres of Knave of Hearts by Vartan Aghababian in 2013 and No Onions, nor Garlic by Thomas Stumpf in 2014. With the Longy Opera Workshop, she commissioned and directed the world premiere of Jane Austen’s History of England by John Morrison in 2014. It is her hope to commission a new opera work every year.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is just as passionate about vocal pedagogy and teaching voice. She has participated in panel discussions by the Boston NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Chapter on the different elements of "Teaching Men to Sing", and was invited by the Western Massachusetts NATS chapter to give a solo presentation on Teaching Men. Her master classes at the Classical Singer Convention, Regional NATS workshops and area Colleges are widely attended. At her invitation, renowned pedagogue Ken Bozeman spoke in the Boston area about the Pedagogical Applications of Vocal Acoustics for teaching voice. She developed and annually taught a vocal curriculum for string performers at the Heifetz International Summer Institute in Staunton, Virginia, US.
Ms. Mastrodomenico’s students can be heard singing throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. They have been accepted into graduate and undergraduate programs at Julliard, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Miami, Frost School of Music, Michigan State University, University of Maryland at College Park, Ithaca College, Guild Hall and The Royal Academy of Music in London. Her singers regularly attend young artist programs at Houston Grand Opera Outreach Program, Central City, Berlin Song Festival, Edinburgh Music Festival and Halifax Opera Festival.
Ms. Mastrodomenico received her Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at New England Conservatory of Music. She is on the voice faculties of Longy School of Music of Bard College and Tufts University.
PAUL MCNAMARA
AUDITIONS BOOTCAMP
From Ireland, the tenor Paul McNamara is based in The Netherlands where he is Artistic Leader of the Dutch National Opera Academy, the collaborative master’s in opera performance offered by the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
He has been heard at major venues including Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, Teatr Wielki – the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, and with the Salzburg Festival at the Beijing Music Festival. A keen recitalist, concert appearances have taken him to many of the world’s leading venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and New York’s Carnegie Hall as well as to the Telemann Festival in Hamburg with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Current and upcoming engagements include appearances with the Nederlandse Reisopera, Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken, the Opéra Royal de Versailles and Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg.
An alumnus of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Paul McNamara is an honours graduate of the University College Cork, the Cork School of Music and the Royal College of Music London. He is a casting consultant for the Stichting Omroep Muziek (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir) and Opera Adviser to the Arts Council of Ireland (An Chomhairle Ealaíon).
Much demand as a teacher, career consultant and juror in international singing competitions, in addition to giving masterclasses in Germany and the Netherlands, this year he will work with the singers at the Oberösterreichische Opernstudio in Linz and return to teach at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz where he has been a faculty member since 2017. Other plans include teaching at the inaugural Opera Nova Project, a vocal programme which aims to provide a holistic, high level of musical education for classical voice students in Malta, as
well as giving masterclasses in the USA, Australia and China.
www.paulmcnamara.info
AUDITIONS BOOTCAMP
From Ireland, the tenor Paul McNamara is based in The Netherlands where he is Artistic Leader of the Dutch National Opera Academy, the collaborative master’s in opera performance offered by the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
He has been heard at major venues including Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, Teatr Wielki – the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, and with the Salzburg Festival at the Beijing Music Festival. A keen recitalist, concert appearances have taken him to many of the world’s leading venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and New York’s Carnegie Hall as well as to the Telemann Festival in Hamburg with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Current and upcoming engagements include appearances with the Nederlandse Reisopera, Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken, the Opéra Royal de Versailles and Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg.
An alumnus of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Paul McNamara is an honours graduate of the University College Cork, the Cork School of Music and the Royal College of Music London. He is a casting consultant for the Stichting Omroep Muziek (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir) and Opera Adviser to the Arts Council of Ireland (An Chomhairle Ealaíon).
Much demand as a teacher, career consultant and juror in international singing competitions, in addition to giving masterclasses in Germany and the Netherlands, this year he will work with the singers at the Oberösterreichische Opernstudio in Linz and return to teach at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz where he has been a faculty member since 2017. Other plans include teaching at the inaugural Opera Nova Project, a vocal programme which aims to provide a holistic, high level of musical education for classical voice students in Malta, as
well as giving masterclasses in the USA, Australia and China.
www.paulmcnamara.info
ALEXANDRA VON ROEPKE
GERMAN LIBRETTO & DICTION COACH
Alexandra von Roepke is a versatile, internationally-recognised mezzo-soprano from Berlin, at home both on opera stages in Europe and Asia, as well as in concert halls such as Leipzig's Gewandhaus and Berliner Philharmonie and other venues including the Vatican.
While training as an actress at the Volksbühne in Berlin she by chance discovered she possessed a rich vocal talent. She spent twelve years in Italy, where she completed an extensive period of study, including at the renowned Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome from which she
graduated with exceptionally high academic and artistic merit, and under the private tutelage of the incomparable Christa Ludwig, Sergio Oliva, a renowned conductor at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and Francesca Patanè, the world famous soprano. Her ability to intimately identify with a range of musical roles, both vocally and as a performer, is outstanding, as audiences and critics regularly agree to be the case. Her repertoire is extensive, from Pergolesi to Belcanto to Verdi, Mozart to Wagner and Richard Strauss to John Cage, although lately she has focused more specifically upon late romantic and modern repertoire. Alexandra von Roepke has appeared in numerous productions to date, mainly in Italy and Germany (including at Berliner Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin and Berliner Philharmonie), but also outside Europe, including in Japan.
As a writer of librettos she has enjoyed the privilege of collaborating with several composers and won a prize for the Youth Opera „Inside Out“. She has been demonstrating her vast experience of both Italian and German music and language since 1996, when she also began teaching the German language and translating from and to both Italian and English, alongside her already
burgeoning career as an opera singer. She has additionally been a vocal teacher since 1999. During this period she has taught both privately and in language schools (including in partnership with companies such as Bosch, Siemens, Fiat and BMW and with several international embassies, including those of Canada and New Zealand), as well as at Freie Universität Berlin and with music schools and academies in Germany and Italy, and conducted numerous masterclasses, both language-focused and musical. Lately she has directed academic programs in Berlin on the works of Richard Wagner and has given concert lectures on Gustav Mahler’s Lied von der Erde in the United States, in New York City and Concord/NH in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2021, she also collaborated with several Japanese universities and conservatoires to provide five intensive courses on the subject of diction and pronunciation in the German Lieder repertoire via Zoom to students and professors alike.
In her teaching she not only aims to convey the words, structures and skills necessary for speaking the German language, but also a deep knowledge of their origins and the reasons for their unique characteristics, to allow her students to profoundly master and own this language, among the most spoken and musically performed languages globally.
GERMAN LIBRETTO & DICTION COACH
Alexandra von Roepke is a versatile, internationally-recognised mezzo-soprano from Berlin, at home both on opera stages in Europe and Asia, as well as in concert halls such as Leipzig's Gewandhaus and Berliner Philharmonie and other venues including the Vatican.
While training as an actress at the Volksbühne in Berlin she by chance discovered she possessed a rich vocal talent. She spent twelve years in Italy, where she completed an extensive period of study, including at the renowned Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome from which she
graduated with exceptionally high academic and artistic merit, and under the private tutelage of the incomparable Christa Ludwig, Sergio Oliva, a renowned conductor at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and Francesca Patanè, the world famous soprano. Her ability to intimately identify with a range of musical roles, both vocally and as a performer, is outstanding, as audiences and critics regularly agree to be the case. Her repertoire is extensive, from Pergolesi to Belcanto to Verdi, Mozart to Wagner and Richard Strauss to John Cage, although lately she has focused more specifically upon late romantic and modern repertoire. Alexandra von Roepke has appeared in numerous productions to date, mainly in Italy and Germany (including at Berliner Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin and Berliner Philharmonie), but also outside Europe, including in Japan.
As a writer of librettos she has enjoyed the privilege of collaborating with several composers and won a prize for the Youth Opera „Inside Out“. She has been demonstrating her vast experience of both Italian and German music and language since 1996, when she also began teaching the German language and translating from and to both Italian and English, alongside her already
burgeoning career as an opera singer. She has additionally been a vocal teacher since 1999. During this period she has taught both privately and in language schools (including in partnership with companies such as Bosch, Siemens, Fiat and BMW and with several international embassies, including those of Canada and New Zealand), as well as at Freie Universität Berlin and with music schools and academies in Germany and Italy, and conducted numerous masterclasses, both language-focused and musical. Lately she has directed academic programs in Berlin on the works of Richard Wagner and has given concert lectures on Gustav Mahler’s Lied von der Erde in the United States, in New York City and Concord/NH in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2021, she also collaborated with several Japanese universities and conservatoires to provide five intensive courses on the subject of diction and pronunciation in the German Lieder repertoire via Zoom to students and professors alike.
In her teaching she not only aims to convey the words, structures and skills necessary for speaking the German language, but also a deep knowledge of their origins and the reasons for their unique characteristics, to allow her students to profoundly master and own this language, among the most spoken and musically performed languages globally.
ANASTASIA INNISS,
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Anastasia Inniss is a versatile and multifaceted classical music artist. Her work encompasses performance, education, directing, production and executive arts leadership.
Opera roles include: Judith in A kékszakállú herceg vára (Grimeborn Opera Festival London); Woglinde in Das Rheingold(Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Lohengrin(Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
Ms. Inniss is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new theater piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation).
Solo concert engagements include J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie), Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut(Old North Concert Series), Magnificat in D(Fine Arts Chorale), Missa brevis in A (Fine Arts Chorale); Mozart's Requiem (Berliner Philharmonie, Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie); Pergolesi Stabat mater(Berliner Philharmonie); Schubert Mass in G(Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem (Tufts University Orchestra, cover); Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream(Longy Chamber Orchestra); Berg Sieben frühe Lieder (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival); Mahler Rückert-Lieder (Berlin Song Festival); Strauss Vier letzte Lieder (Berlin Song Festival, Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival, Walbrook Music Trust, Galerieforum am Meer); Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others. As a concert artist, Ms. Inniss has also given numerous concert and solo recitals in the United States and in Europe.
n parallel with her work as a performer, Ms. Inniss has worked as an executive arts administrator and has held leadership positions in the arts for the last 15 years, both in Europe and in the United States. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. In 2024, she won a grant from Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo Lanzarote to create and direct the Academia de Ópera Lanzarote at the UNESCO-protected Jameos del Agua Auditorium Lanzarote. She is a content contributor for the Classical Singer Magazine writing articles on education and sustainability in classical music. Previously, she was the artistic director of the Berlin Song Festival and an artistic consultant for The Opera Stage. Ms. Inniss has co-produced and hosted numerous roundtable panel discussions on patterns of discrimination in classical music. In addition, she has spear-headed and produced the Trans*Voices - a series of masterclasses and performance opportunities for transgender and non-binary artists. Part of her work in arts leadership includes creating scholarship and educational opportunities for under-represented communities in classical music and opera.
Among her directing credits are pieces such as Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years as well as a wide range of scenes from the operatic and musical theatre repertoire. She has served as a casting director and producer for Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Wagner's Das Rheingold, Wagner's Lohengrin, Strauss's Elektra, Wagner's Die Walküre and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. She also designed costumes for Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Rorem’s Our Town.
Ms. Inniss is a consummate educator with over 25 years of experience teaching voice, pedagogy, opera and song repertoire as well as audition preparation. She was taught at a college level as well as privately. She has guided the voices of numerous transgender voice professionals and is particularly adept to training voices with complex landscape.
Ms. Inniss started her arts education at the age of 5 studying piano, percussion and classical guitar. Her education also includes acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance, visual arts and creative writing. She was educated at Longy School of Music at Bard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. She is also a recipient of the Neue Start Kultur Grant from the Deutscher Musikrat and the Dezentrale Kulturarbeit Reinickendorf Grant.
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Anastasia Inniss is a versatile and multifaceted classical music artist. Her work encompasses performance, education, directing, production and executive arts leadership.
Opera roles include: Judith in A kékszakállú herceg vára (Grimeborn Opera Festival London); Woglinde in Das Rheingold(Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Lohengrin(Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
Ms. Inniss is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new theater piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation).
Solo concert engagements include J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie), Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut(Old North Concert Series), Magnificat in D(Fine Arts Chorale), Missa brevis in A (Fine Arts Chorale); Mozart's Requiem (Berliner Philharmonie, Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie); Pergolesi Stabat mater(Berliner Philharmonie); Schubert Mass in G(Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem (Tufts University Orchestra, cover); Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream(Longy Chamber Orchestra); Berg Sieben frühe Lieder (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival); Mahler Rückert-Lieder (Berlin Song Festival); Strauss Vier letzte Lieder (Berlin Song Festival, Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival, Walbrook Music Trust, Galerieforum am Meer); Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others. As a concert artist, Ms. Inniss has also given numerous concert and solo recitals in the United States and in Europe.
n parallel with her work as a performer, Ms. Inniss has worked as an executive arts administrator and has held leadership positions in the arts for the last 15 years, both in Europe and in the United States. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. In 2024, she won a grant from Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo Lanzarote to create and direct the Academia de Ópera Lanzarote at the UNESCO-protected Jameos del Agua Auditorium Lanzarote. She is a content contributor for the Classical Singer Magazine writing articles on education and sustainability in classical music. Previously, she was the artistic director of the Berlin Song Festival and an artistic consultant for The Opera Stage. Ms. Inniss has co-produced and hosted numerous roundtable panel discussions on patterns of discrimination in classical music. In addition, she has spear-headed and produced the Trans*Voices - a series of masterclasses and performance opportunities for transgender and non-binary artists. Part of her work in arts leadership includes creating scholarship and educational opportunities for under-represented communities in classical music and opera.
Among her directing credits are pieces such as Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years as well as a wide range of scenes from the operatic and musical theatre repertoire. She has served as a casting director and producer for Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Wagner's Das Rheingold, Wagner's Lohengrin, Strauss's Elektra, Wagner's Die Walküre and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. She also designed costumes for Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Rorem’s Our Town.
Ms. Inniss is a consummate educator with over 25 years of experience teaching voice, pedagogy, opera and song repertoire as well as audition preparation. She was taught at a college level as well as privately. She has guided the voices of numerous transgender voice professionals and is particularly adept to training voices with complex landscape.
Ms. Inniss started her arts education at the age of 5 studying piano, percussion and classical guitar. Her education also includes acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance, visual arts and creative writing. She was educated at Longy School of Music at Bard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. She is also a recipient of the Neue Start Kultur Grant from the Deutscher Musikrat and the Dezentrale Kulturarbeit Reinickendorf Grant.
LILIIAN SALPETER, AGENT, CENTRE STAGE ARTIST MANAGEMENT (CSAM)
VISITING FACULTY
Artist Manager Liliia Salpeter is a native of Moscow, Russia. She began studying piano and choral singing at the age of 7. Liliia graduated with the highest honors from Moscow State Linguistics University where she studied English, Spanish and Korean languages. After graduating she combined her passion for classical music and foreign languages by working as an interpreter and administrator at the Bolshoi Theatre where she worked closely with guest singers, conductors and music coaches. During her eight year tenure in the Moscow classical music scene, Liliia worked at multiple international festivals, opera coproductions and theatre tours where she specialised in interpreting during orchestra and stage rehearsals, arranging auditions and running coaching sessions. Liliia has also used her degree in teaching Russian as a foreign language by working as a Russian diction coach both privately and at productions at the Bolshoi Theatre and Teatro Real, Madrid.
After moving to Berlin in 2020, Liliia joined the renowned Centre Stage Artist Management (CSAM) which is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company. CSAM specialises in providing individually tailored management services to some of the finest classical singers in the world such as Rolando Villazón, Piotr Beczala and Sondra Radvanovsky. Among the singers Liliia represents are Kathryn Lewek, Serena Sáenz and Jonathan Tetelman.
VISITING FACULTY
Artist Manager Liliia Salpeter is a native of Moscow, Russia. She began studying piano and choral singing at the age of 7. Liliia graduated with the highest honors from Moscow State Linguistics University where she studied English, Spanish and Korean languages. After graduating she combined her passion for classical music and foreign languages by working as an interpreter and administrator at the Bolshoi Theatre where she worked closely with guest singers, conductors and music coaches. During her eight year tenure in the Moscow classical music scene, Liliia worked at multiple international festivals, opera coproductions and theatre tours where she specialised in interpreting during orchestra and stage rehearsals, arranging auditions and running coaching sessions. Liliia has also used her degree in teaching Russian as a foreign language by working as a Russian diction coach both privately and at productions at the Bolshoi Theatre and Teatro Real, Madrid.
After moving to Berlin in 2020, Liliia joined the renowned Centre Stage Artist Management (CSAM) which is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company. CSAM specialises in providing individually tailored management services to some of the finest classical singers in the world such as Rolando Villazón, Piotr Beczala and Sondra Radvanovsky. Among the singers Liliia represents are Kathryn Lewek, Serena Sáenz and Jonathan Tetelman.
JULIE WYMA,
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Julie Wyma has been described as a Renaissance Woman of opera, having worked in both Europe and the United States as a singer, director, stage manager, wig/makeup artist, costume designer, producer, and educator.
As a soprano she has appeared in more than 20 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”
Recent performances have included the roles of Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde at Kloster Chorin, Germany; Musetta in La Bohème and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Puccini's Toaster in Berlin; the Soprano solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, and Fauré's Requiem, all in Berlin; and several concerts of music by the American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles in Munich, Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany. In 2018 she produced a staged concert of The AIDS Quilt Songbook as a benefit concert for the Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.
Ms. Wyma has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe), Wagner's Ring Cycle (semi-staged, Opera By Request), Massenet’s Werther (Irrational Entertainment), Händel’s Semele (Midwest Early Opera Works), Jonathan Stinson’s The Three Bears and Ryan Oldham’s The Emperor’s Madness (University of Missouri-Kansas City), as well as Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (Voci Inglesi) and numerous opera scenes programs. She has assistant directed Albert Herring and Giulio Cesare at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Carmen at Opera North, and she assistant stage managed La Rondine at Indiana University.
As a costume designer Ms. Wyma worked for Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York for the 2011-2012 Season, which included Tosca, The Consul, Iolanta, The Most Happy Fella, La Cenerentola, Beauty and the Beast, and La Traviata. She has also worked as a bridal alterations specialist in Bloomington, Indiana and New York City. Ms. Wyma has worked as a Wig and Makeup Assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in operas including Giulio Cesare, La Bohème, and John Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in productions including La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and The Man of La Mancha, and for a national tour of Hairspray. As a young artist, she was a set construction assistant at Opera in the Ozarks in 2004.
As an educator, Ms. Wyma’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment.
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Julie Wyma has been described as a Renaissance Woman of opera, having worked in both Europe and the United States as a singer, director, stage manager, wig/makeup artist, costume designer, producer, and educator.
As a soprano she has appeared in more than 20 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”
Recent performances have included the roles of Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde at Kloster Chorin, Germany; Musetta in La Bohème and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Puccini's Toaster in Berlin; the Soprano solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, and Fauré's Requiem, all in Berlin; and several concerts of music by the American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles in Munich, Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany. In 2018 she produced a staged concert of The AIDS Quilt Songbook as a benefit concert for the Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.
Ms. Wyma has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe), Wagner's Ring Cycle (semi-staged, Opera By Request), Massenet’s Werther (Irrational Entertainment), Händel’s Semele (Midwest Early Opera Works), Jonathan Stinson’s The Three Bears and Ryan Oldham’s The Emperor’s Madness (University of Missouri-Kansas City), as well as Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (Voci Inglesi) and numerous opera scenes programs. She has assistant directed Albert Herring and Giulio Cesare at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Carmen at Opera North, and she assistant stage managed La Rondine at Indiana University.
As a costume designer Ms. Wyma worked for Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York for the 2011-2012 Season, which included Tosca, The Consul, Iolanta, The Most Happy Fella, La Cenerentola, Beauty and the Beast, and La Traviata. She has also worked as a bridal alterations specialist in Bloomington, Indiana and New York City. Ms. Wyma has worked as a Wig and Makeup Assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in operas including Giulio Cesare, La Bohème, and John Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in productions including La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and The Man of La Mancha, and for a national tour of Hairspray. As a young artist, she was a set construction assistant at Opera in the Ozarks in 2004.
As an educator, Ms. Wyma’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment.
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
TBA
TBA
THE PROGRAM HAS NO AGE LIMIT
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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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ADMINISTRATIVE FEE: 45€
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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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ADMINISTRATIVE FEE: 45€
APPLICATION DEADLINES:
ARIADNE - rolling until casting complete
BERLIN LIEDER AKADEMIE & FESTIVAL - April 15, 2025
ARIADNE - rolling until casting complete
BERLIN LIEDER AKADEMIE & FESTIVAL - April 15, 2025
'For a long time I have really really struggled with self belief and nerves, to the point of being physically sick before performing and withdrawing myself from competitions due to immense nerves. Dramatic Voices Program Berlin has given me the support and encouragement I've needed to lessen these severe feelings. The program offered me a safe space to be vulnerable as a performer and gave me the assurance that I am on the right path. I came onto the program a young, scared, pessimistic 25 year old with crippling impostor syndrome who had no idea how the opera world truely worked. And although my constant questions and asking for reassurance from you may have seemed annoying, I felt that you allowed me to ask the questions. This program has helped me in more ways than anything I have attended to date. With your guidance and the team's knowledge I feel incredibly inspired.
I flew back to New Zealand recently and competed in the Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition over the weekend where out of 47 singers, I made it through to the final where I performed with an orchestra for the first time in my life. Of course there were nerves but without DVP I don't think I would have been able to get through the performances.
I just wanted to thank you for this incredible program. As a young singer with a fuller voice it is always so challenging and you both created a safe space for me to discover my voice and myself as a performer.'
- Ellis Carrington, Soprano
'I just wanted to say thank you again for such an amazing DVP 2024! I can’t believe what we accomplished, and your vision proves that expecting the best from people and believing in us really does bring out our best. I really appreciate your commitment to professionalism and treating artists with respect. I always felt like my time and well-being were important, and your scheduling/organizational prowess is top notch! Getting to see artists at all stages of their lives and careers is invaluable and inspiring, and really promotes much more learning and depth to the experience. Needless to say, DVP is a breath of fresh air, and I’m looking forward to applying again for next year!!'
- Helena Waterous
'It was another amazing experience for me, and a great honor. I loved working with such talented colleagues and faculty, who were also kind and lovely human beings. The Lieder program was a joy! Before 2019 I never imagined singing Wagner or Strauss or any kind of dramatic repertoire. You and DVP showed me that I have more potential than I ever imagined, and you changed the course of my musical life.'
- Margaret O'Connell, Mezzo-Soprano
'I am writing to you to express my gratitude for this year's program! I am so happy to have been given this amazing opportunity to take part in DVP 2024. It was indeed life-changing for me in many ways. I received a lot of encouragement and additional clarity on direction in how to navigate this complex path. It was so nice to meet you both, the rest of the faculty and all of the amazing artists. Everyone was so talented and I really believe all of our paths will cross again in future. I was really impressed by you ability to manage this project! You managed to attract such competent professionals which also massively expanded our networks which I am also very grateful for.'
- Ieva Glinske, Soprano
'Because the program has no age limit, young dramatic voices get to share the stage with seasoned professionals who are participating in the program because they want to sing a particular role or are changing Fachs. I established solid professional relationships with people who are in the industry, and working in the opera houses in Europe. And what I have received in lessons, coachings, masterclasses and performance opportunities, headshots, recordings has been one of the most cost effective investments I have done.'
- Stephanie DePrez, Soprano
'Everything that was promised by the program came through beautifully. The daily coachings were impeccable, the voice teaching was fantastic. I feel like I have arrived at another level. I can add Wagner to my repertoire and I owe this to the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin.'
- Marc Molomot, Tenor
'My favorite part were the coachings and lessons, which were at a very high level - they were specific and always done from an encouraging point of view. I did a lot of artistic growth in an environment that is supportive and encourages risk-taking.'
- Jennifer Carter, Soprano
'The first time I sang a solo hojotoho wth orchestra was a highlight of my LIFE! I also absolutely loved being part of such a supportive and talented cohort. What a great bunch of people. I very much enjoyed having the chance to work on my Lieder as well as the Wagner role, and the Masterclasses were also fantastic.It was a perfectly balanced and well-designed program. I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity.'
- Belinda Patterson, Mezzo-Soprano
'Working with Clay Hilley really gave me practical new insights into vocal technique which was underscored beautifully by Carol Mastrodomenico.'
- Pierre du Toit, Tenor
'I loved getting to work with such talented, experienced, and kind singers! It was so educational for me to have the chance to work with professionals that had more experience with me. Their confidence and control of their instruments allowed for deep musical work and inspired me to improve. I also loved how helpful the program was in terms of finding housing for the program. It made coming to a huge new city in a different country as comfortable as it could be! As said before, I also really appreciated the supportive vibe within the program and how connected everyone felt. Having the chance to get to know colleagues from several continents was so special! The program leaders and staff did a fantastic job of bringing in people who were not only talented, but kind and well-rounded as well. They were also extremely understanding and willing to work with any issues that arose during the program. This attitude of positivity and acceptance is how all music programs should be run and I hope to see more programs adopt it in the future.'
- Noah Stone, Pianist
'I absolutely loved all of the faculty and leadership of the program. I wish I could have absorbed more knowledge and gotten to spend more time with you all.'
- Nick Masiello, Tenor
I flew back to New Zealand recently and competed in the Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition over the weekend where out of 47 singers, I made it through to the final where I performed with an orchestra for the first time in my life. Of course there were nerves but without DVP I don't think I would have been able to get through the performances.
I just wanted to thank you for this incredible program. As a young singer with a fuller voice it is always so challenging and you both created a safe space for me to discover my voice and myself as a performer.'
- Ellis Carrington, Soprano
'I just wanted to say thank you again for such an amazing DVP 2024! I can’t believe what we accomplished, and your vision proves that expecting the best from people and believing in us really does bring out our best. I really appreciate your commitment to professionalism and treating artists with respect. I always felt like my time and well-being were important, and your scheduling/organizational prowess is top notch! Getting to see artists at all stages of their lives and careers is invaluable and inspiring, and really promotes much more learning and depth to the experience. Needless to say, DVP is a breath of fresh air, and I’m looking forward to applying again for next year!!'
- Helena Waterous
'It was another amazing experience for me, and a great honor. I loved working with such talented colleagues and faculty, who were also kind and lovely human beings. The Lieder program was a joy! Before 2019 I never imagined singing Wagner or Strauss or any kind of dramatic repertoire. You and DVP showed me that I have more potential than I ever imagined, and you changed the course of my musical life.'
- Margaret O'Connell, Mezzo-Soprano
'I am writing to you to express my gratitude for this year's program! I am so happy to have been given this amazing opportunity to take part in DVP 2024. It was indeed life-changing for me in many ways. I received a lot of encouragement and additional clarity on direction in how to navigate this complex path. It was so nice to meet you both, the rest of the faculty and all of the amazing artists. Everyone was so talented and I really believe all of our paths will cross again in future. I was really impressed by you ability to manage this project! You managed to attract such competent professionals which also massively expanded our networks which I am also very grateful for.'
- Ieva Glinske, Soprano
'Because the program has no age limit, young dramatic voices get to share the stage with seasoned professionals who are participating in the program because they want to sing a particular role or are changing Fachs. I established solid professional relationships with people who are in the industry, and working in the opera houses in Europe. And what I have received in lessons, coachings, masterclasses and performance opportunities, headshots, recordings has been one of the most cost effective investments I have done.'
- Stephanie DePrez, Soprano
'Everything that was promised by the program came through beautifully. The daily coachings were impeccable, the voice teaching was fantastic. I feel like I have arrived at another level. I can add Wagner to my repertoire and I owe this to the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin.'
- Marc Molomot, Tenor
'My favorite part were the coachings and lessons, which were at a very high level - they were specific and always done from an encouraging point of view. I did a lot of artistic growth in an environment that is supportive and encourages risk-taking.'
- Jennifer Carter, Soprano
'The first time I sang a solo hojotoho wth orchestra was a highlight of my LIFE! I also absolutely loved being part of such a supportive and talented cohort. What a great bunch of people. I very much enjoyed having the chance to work on my Lieder as well as the Wagner role, and the Masterclasses were also fantastic.It was a perfectly balanced and well-designed program. I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity.'
- Belinda Patterson, Mezzo-Soprano
'Working with Clay Hilley really gave me practical new insights into vocal technique which was underscored beautifully by Carol Mastrodomenico.'
- Pierre du Toit, Tenor
'I loved getting to work with such talented, experienced, and kind singers! It was so educational for me to have the chance to work with professionals that had more experience with me. Their confidence and control of their instruments allowed for deep musical work and inspired me to improve. I also loved how helpful the program was in terms of finding housing for the program. It made coming to a huge new city in a different country as comfortable as it could be! As said before, I also really appreciated the supportive vibe within the program and how connected everyone felt. Having the chance to get to know colleagues from several continents was so special! The program leaders and staff did a fantastic job of bringing in people who were not only talented, but kind and well-rounded as well. They were also extremely understanding and willing to work with any issues that arose during the program. This attitude of positivity and acceptance is how all music programs should be run and I hope to see more programs adopt it in the future.'
- Noah Stone, Pianist
'I absolutely loved all of the faculty and leadership of the program. I wish I could have absorbed more knowledge and gotten to spend more time with you all.'
- Nick Masiello, Tenor