Announcement: 5. International Waiblingen Opera Workshop (15.-21.9.24)

Since 2019, the city of Waiblingen has been supporting young singing talents from all over the world with a scholarship for a six-day workshop with international stars Melanie Diener and Thomas Hampson.
The 5th Waiblingen International Opera Workshop 2024 will take place from 15 to 21 September. For this year's workshop, an additional selection
an additional selection process was introduced for this year's workshop. After submitting their application documents (including video recordings), the talented singers once again impressed the jury in a second round in Waiblingen in June. Together with recommendations from the Opera for Peace initiative and, for the first time, from the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, a total of 13 singers from eight nations were selected to work with Melanie Diener and Thomas Hampson in public for six days and perform with them at the final concert. This year, for the first time, the concert will be accompanied by the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra under Salvatore Percacciolo.

‘There's magic in every beginning’ - once again, careers are starting in Waiblingen, once again, the Waiblingen audience can discover new, young opera voices and future stars. ‘Once again, I am curious, excited, full of emotion and hope for everything that may come - just like at our very first opera workshop in September 2019,’ says the internationally acclaimed Waiblingen soprano Melanie Diener. ‘It's about much more than just music’, she says: ’We encourage our young colleagues to develop their creativity even more freely, to contribute and develop their personality. Thanks to our flexibility, we can always respond to the needs of each individual 
and develop their visions together. We help the young singers to fully utilise their inner resources and transform all their emotions into song. In our community, music becomes a passion that touches and inspires the heart. Together we create something unique!’
 

Thomas Hampson immediately accepted her invitation to found the Waiblingen International Opera Workshop together with the city of Waiblingen: ‘Our annual meeting for the Waiblingen International Opera Workshop is an exciting adventure,’ he says today. He goes on to emphasise: ‘The young, ambitious opera singers we support bring an incredible energy and dedication to music that makes the city resound. In Waiblingen, we offer the next generation of artists an intense and inspiring environment that helps them discover the depths of their potential and tell the stories of life through opera.’
The 13 singers selected for the International Opera Workshop Waiblingen 2024 are:

1. Valentina Bättig (Switzerland)
2. Lena Geiger (Germany)
3. Maryam Jalalikandy (Iran-Germany)
4. Anna Maternina (Russia-Germany)
5. Antonia Schuchardt (Germany)
6 Mihail Timoschenko (Russia-France)
7. Viktor Jimenez (Spain) Opera for Peace
8. Livia Luis-Joseph-Dogué (France) Opera for Peace
9. Julius Loranzi (Italy)
10. Olivia Peschke (Germany)
11. Clemens Seewald (Austria)
12. Giulio Putrino (Italy)
13. NN AIMS Graz

Participation in the opera workshop is being advertised. The Opera Workshop is aimed at young talents who are currently in transition between studying and working. The selection criteria are excellence, which is demonstrated by work samples, training and references from renowned artists or teachers. The participants are accommodated with host families from the region and, as in previous years, present themselves outside of the public masterclass lessons as part of a small performance in public spaces. In this way, they and the citizens of Waiblingen experience participation, encounters and intercultural exchange at first hand - a core objective of the district town of Waiblingen's commitment. With a population of around 56,000, it is an important business, cultural and university location in the Stuttgart metropolitan region and one of the strongest economic regions in Europe, situated on the Rems river, with a picturesque old town, the idyllic Talaue landscape park and outstanding art and cultural institutions such as the Stihl Waiblingen Gallery and the Waiblingen Civic Centre.

Mayor Sebastian Wolf on the outstanding project: ‘I am delighted to welcome the 5th International Opera Workshop to Waiblingen in September. Under the proven direction of Melanie Diener and Thomas Hampson, who are at home on the world's great stages, the opera workshop brings together particularly talented singers from all over the world in our city. It is an inspiring example of how art and culture can unite people across borders. My special thanks go to the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation and the Kreissparkasse Waiblingen, which provide major financial support for the Opera Workshop. I cordially invite all those interested in opera and our international guests to be part of this very special experience.’

Robert Mayr, Chairman of the Board and founder of the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation, is also enthusiastic: ‘Supporting the International Waiblingen Opera Workshop is an important component of our cultural sponsorship in Waiblingen. I am very much looking forward to the 5th round and once again expect scholarship holders of the highest calibre.’

Thomas Vuk, Head of the Department of Culture and Sport, adds: ‘I am delighted that the interest in our Waiblingen International Opera Workshop among young singers was so great again this year. We are very much looking forward to the 13 selected opera talents coming to Waiblingen in September. In addition, the renewed cooperation with other municipal organisations is of great importance to me, so I am looking forward to a wonderful late summer concert evening with our talents as part of ‘Waiblingen erfrischt’ on the market square. Thanks to our growing cooperation partnerships, this year we will be welcoming two young talents from the global opera network Opera for Peace as well as a young talent from the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz to Waiblingen for the first time.’

SCHEDULE
17/18 September 2024, 10 am - 1 pm and 2 pm - 5 pm | Waiblingen Civic Centre, Ghibellinensaal
Public rehearsals with livestream on YouTube

19 September 2024, | Waiblingen market square, open air
Scholarship holders of the IOW 2024 sing songs from their home countries as part of the
event series ‘Waiblingen refreshes’

21 September 2024, 8 p.m. | Waiblingen Civic Centre, Ghibellinensaal
Closing concert with works by Mozart, Strauss