International Opera Studio Gerard Mortier

Gerard Mortier, as a visionary of European opera, stood for a commitment to opera as an art form capable of transforming lives when it engages with contemporary relevance. In this spirit of professional and aesthetic education and development, Gerard Mortier agreed to become the patron of the International Opera Studio at the Salzburg State Theatre.

The program is aimed at outstanding singers who, after completing their studies and before beginning a permanent engagement, want to familiarize themselves with the workings of an opera company. Through role preparation as well as intellectual and personal interaction with colleagues in the opera division, membership in the opera studio offers the opportunity to expand one’s creative potential in a European city renowned for its operatic history.

During the first three years, the program partnered closely with the Juilliard School New York (Artistic Director Brian Zeger) and the Opera School of the State Conservatory Istanbul (Artistic Director Yekta Kara). These partnerships bring to life the idea of opera as a bridge between cultures, as young singers from the Orient and Occident unite in Salzburg to work together on opera productions.

Emalie Savoy, a scholarship recipient from the inaugural cohort, won the ARD Music Competition in 2015. Tamara Ivaniš and Raimundas Juzuitis, scholarship holders from the second and third cohorts, advanced into the opera ensemble of the Salzburg State Theatre.

Opera Studio Ensemble

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