Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg
Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg is an international opera festival for young talented singers, founded and directed by German composer Siegfried Matthus. It takes place every summer at the historical Rheinsberg Castle, in Brandenburg (Germany). The festival presents the winners of the International Singing Competition Schloss Rheinsberg, in which about 450 candidates from all over the world participate every year.
Festival
The Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg Festival[1] was founded in 1990 by Siegfried Matthus, who also composed the opening opera: "Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke". In the last 20 years there have been more than 70 opera and concert productions. Experienced, renowned conductors and directors work with the young singers on opera roles under professional conditions and support the festival as members of the committee. Conductors have included Daniel Barenboim, Kurt Masur and Christian Thielemann, and directors have included Götz Friedrich, August Everding, Harry Kupfer and Axel Köhler, among many others.[2]
The Festival has no orchestra of his own, but collaborates with many well-known German orchestras: RIAS Symphony Orchestra, Junge Philharmonie Brandenburg, Neubranbenburger Philharmonie, Brandenburg State Orchestra, Brandenburgische Philharmonie Potsdam, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Brandenburger Symphoniker, Braunschweig State Orchestra.
In 2000 the completely restored Castle Theater (Schlosstheater) opened its doors to the public. The Rheinsberg Opera Festival also has a rarity among theaters - the 18th century Garden Theater (Heckentheater), with capacity for 1000 spectators in a total area of 750 m2. The Opera Festival also uses rooms in Rheinsberg Castle for many concerts during the summer festival season.
Siegfried Matthus has been the Artistic Director of the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg since 1990, Claudia Eder is the Voice Advisor and Rainer Schwarz the Festival Manager and Executive Director. The Festival includes opera productions in both Castle and Garden Theaters, and many thematic concerts and masterclasses.
Singers
The Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg organises every year in Berlin the International Singing Competition Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, in which over 450 candidates from all over the world participate. The winners of the competition then have the chance to perform various different roles required for the opera productions. Thus the singers of the festival are the chosen elite of young singers worldwide, and thousands of classical music fans travel to Rheinsberg to hear their young voices. Many highly talented young singers started a successful career through their appearance at the Rheinsberg festival. Singers who have started in Rheinsberg can be heard at the New York Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Salzburg Festival, other various international opera houses such as Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Tokyo Opera House, Vienna State Opera, Sydney Opera House, Zürich Opera House and most German opera houses.
Some of the former winners of the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg:
- 1991 - 2000
Claudia Barainsky (1991); Nina Warren (1991); Andreas Karasiak (1992, 1993); Friedemann Röhlig (1998); Camilla Tilling (1998); Boguslaw Bidzinski (1999, 2000); Kristiane Kaiser (1999)
- Since 2000
Annette Dasch (2000 and 2001); Aris Argiris (2002); Marco Jentzsch (2003, 2004); Hyung-Wook Lee (2004); Gabriela Scherer (2005); Ines Thomas Almeida (2008)