Opera, Lieder, Language and Culture of Germany:
Music in Germany 2008
Summer 2008 (tentative dates)*:
Session 1: May 19 - June 15
Session 2: May 19 - July 7
Application deadline: March 1, 2008
Program Location & Academic Program
Session One: Chemnitz, Germany. The Saxon industrial city of Chemnitz lies in a wide stretch of the valley of the river Chemnitz, in the Erzgebirge Basin. In the 16th century an important textile center in the Electorate of Saxony, Chemnitz developed in the 19th century into a major industrial town, its economy centered on engineering. Chemnitz, a city with a progressive approach to the arts, has a wealth of cultural attractions including many museums and its’ “A” class opera house with a full season of symphony concerts, opera, operetta and musicals for students to attend.
Students will study conversational German, study German Lieder and arias, and perform solo roles in Opera Scenes in a workshop co-production with the Wieland Müller Werkstatt für Musik und Theater. Musical directing, coachings, preparations for performances and masterclasses will also be given by German and American instructors. Students will also attend opera, operetta and musical theater performances in Chemnitz, Freiberg, Dresden and Leipzig. During the course students will be housed in accommodation at the Europark Pension in Chemnitz. Special excursions to Dresden, Leipzig, Seiffen and other points of interest will be arranged. This session will also offer a special auditor’s section appropriate for teachers of singing.
Session Two: Freiberg, Germany. Freiberg has a late-medieval city center, with narrow alleyways and cobble-stone streets. The Freiberg Technical University, as well as the intimate 300-seat Mid-Saxony Opera theater provide the educational and artistic base for the former silver mining capital which  created the original wealth of near-by Dresden. Points of historical interest include the oldest and most important silver mine of Saxony "Reiche Zeche'' (rich mine), as well as the cathedral St. Marien, where an original Silbermann organ (famous as the organ builder for Bach) is still used regularly for concerts and worship.
3-5 Students will be selected by audition with Jan Horstmann, General Musical Director of the Freiberg Opera House, to remain in Germany and perform in small roles in the theater’s production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene with performances on June 14th, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and July 5 and 6. Rehearsals will also take place during Session One. These students will also continue German Language Studies for an extra thirty hours of language instruction. Students will start their course on May 19th in the first session and continue through until July 7th. Student housing will be at the discretion of the Freiberg Theater.
Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, journal assignment and/or papers,
and concert and workshop performances.
Tentative course offerings*:
MUS 490
Special Topics: Opera and Lieder Performance Practices, 2 credits
MUS 490
Special Topics: Music and Culture of Germany, 2 credits
GER 490
Special Topics: Conversational German, 2 credits
MUS 690
Special Topics: Opera, Language and Musical Culture in Germany, 2 credits
MUS 490/690
Special Topics: Opera, Language and Musical Culture in Germany for Auditors, 1-2 credits
Accommodations
Students in Session 1 will reside in Europark Pension (hostel) in Chemnitz, Germany. Students in Session 2:
Housing will be arranged with the Freiberg Opera House Administration
in Freiberg, Germany.
Program Costs*
For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.
Application
For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.
In addition to the Short-term Application, all applicants are required to send a letter or personal reference from a singing teacher and a resume of experience. Also, applicants are expected to audition in person for the directors, or send a recent recording.
For Session 1, live auditions with Wieland Müller may be scheduled in Harrisonburg , Virginia from February 4-8 and Tempe, Arizona from February 8-12.
For Session 2, live auditions with the Freiberg Opera General Music Director Jan Horstmann will be required in order to be considered for the limited enrollment of this special course. Live auditions may be scheduled in Harrisonburg , Virginia from February 25-28 and Tempe, Arizona from February 29- March 4.
Dates for Masterclasses and Live Auditions in Virginia:
- Wieland Müller: February 4-7 masterclasses at JMU, SU and GMU.
- Jan Horstman: February 25-28 Masterclass at JMU, SU and GMU.
Session Two Roles to be cast in Kurt Weil’s Street Scene (A total of 11-12 parts)
- Daniel Buchanan—Buffo Tenor (could be double-cast)
- Jennie Hildebrand—Mezzo Soprano
- 2 Students (Sopranos)
- 3 Students (Mezzo-Sopranos)
- Grace Davis (Daughter of Henry Davis, Afro-American)
- Mae Jones (Daughter of George and Emma Jones (A Dancer who can sing)
- Dick McGann (A Dancer who can Sing)
Session One Opera Scenes Programs: Scenes will be chosen to match the needs of individual students with an emphasis on the works of Mozart.
Session One Lieder Concerts: to include individual solos and the Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzer
Tentative Calendar of Concerts and Events
Session One:
May 18th: Students Arrive in Germany
May 19th: Sessions One and Two Begin
May 22: First Informal Lieder Concert at Studio W.M. Chemnitz
May 23: First Informal Lieder/Opera Scenes presentation at Studio W.M Chemnitz
May 24: Concert at the Wlekenburg Castle: Lieder and Opera Scenes
May 25: Informal “Kann er was? / What can you do?” Concert at Studio W.M.Chemnitz
May 30: Second Lieder/Opera Concert at the Agricola School, Chemnitz
May 31: Third Lieder/Opera Concert at the Stadthalle Chemnizt
June 4: Tentative Lieder/Opera Concert at the Audimax Castle in Freiberg
June 6: Lieder Concert at the Friedrich Family’s Convent Hall in Döbeln
June 7: Informal evening with the Student Musical Company of Hartha
June 8: Tentative Lieder/Opera Concert at the Freiberg Museum
June 9: Workshop with the students of the Music School of Döbeln
June 10: Informal Social Evening with German High School Students in Döbeln
June 12: Lieder/Opera program at the Courthouse Concert Hall in Döbeln
June 14: Premier of Street Scene in Freiberg
June 15: Tentative Lieder/Opera Scenes program shared with the Middle-Saxony Orchestra at the Nicholaikirche in Freiberg.
Session Two:
Additional Performances of Street Scene in Freiberg:
June 14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and July 5, 6.
For More Information
For additional information about the Opera, Lieder, Language and Culture of Germany: Music in Germany 2008 program, please contact the program director:
Dr. Dorothy Maddison
School of Music
Tel: 540-568-8042
E-mail: maddisx@jmu.edu
*Trip calendar, program fees and international faculty information will be available shortly.
Instructors and Directors from the USA and Germany
Dorothy Maddison, Director, received a BM degree St. Olaf College, her MM and DMA in vocal performance at Arizona State University, and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. During her professional career in Europe as a lyric-coloratura soprano, she was a full-time soloist with the Stadttheater of Döbeln, Germany, where she performed the roles of Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta and Stella in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Euridice in Offenbach's Orphée aux Enfers, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. She toured Germany singing Christine in the Yeston-Kopit version of Phantom. Dr. Maddison is co-author of Kein’ Angst Baby!, a book to help singers audition in Germany. Her discography includes the CD Christmas Art Songs and Songs for Brenda and Bertha featuring the song cycles ME(Brenda Ueland) by Libby Larsen and Brautlieder by Peter Cornelius. She is an assistant professor of voice and opera at JMU, and recently appeared with the wind symphony under the direction of Patrick Rooney at the Kennedy Center. Off campus, she has performed in concert and oratorio in the USA, England, Germany and in October of 2007 she performed with the Camerati Amici Ensemble in Brazil, singing for Vice-President José Alencar at the Portuguese Embassy Palace in Rio de Janeiro.
Gabriel Dobner, Co-Director, German Lieder Coach (Session One), received his Bachelors Degree in piano performance from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University and his Masters and Doctoral Degrees from Indiana University. 1993 marked the beginning of his eight-year stay in Germany, after having been awarded a German Academic Exchange Scholarship (DAAD) to study Lied accompanying in Munich with Helmut Deutsch. The following year he won the special pianist’s prize in the International Hans Pfitzner Lieder Competition in Munich. While living in Augsburg, he became established as a successful collaborative pianist, working with notable singers Cornelia Kallisch, René Kollo, Christiane Oelze, Kevin McMillan, Alan Bennett and Alexandra Petersamer. Mr. Dobner performs regularly (including an appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.) with pianist Lori Piitz as part of a piano duo team. He has recorded for the Ottavo, MDG and Kannevas labels. His first recording for MDG, consisting of songs of Liszt, Dvorák and Mahler with mezzo-soprano Cornelia Kallisch, won high praise from BBC Music Magazine, Fono Forum and the West German Radio in Cologne, who referred to him as a “master among Lieder pianists”. His most recent recording, Schubert’s Die Winterreise with baritone Kevin McMillan, will be available in 2008. He has recorded for Saint Paul Sunday, the Bayrischer Rundfunk, Südwestfunk, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk and the Chubo-Nippon Broadcasting Company in Japan. Gabriel Dobner joined the faculty at James Madison University in the fall of 2001. Previous teaching engagements include Indiana University and the Nürnberg/Augsburg Hochschule für Musik in Germany.
William Reber, Conductor, and Accompanist-Coach (Session One), earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Opera and Conducting at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Lyric Opera Theatre and Professor of Music at Arizona State University. From 1993 through 2004, he was head of the vocal coaching program for AIMS (American Institute of Musical Studies), in Graz, Austria. In addition to conducting symphony and chamber orchestra concerts in the United States and Europe, he has served as Music Director/Conductor for more than 125 productions of operas, musicals and ballets. Former Music Director of the Minnesota Opera Studio and conductor for the Minnesota Opera, he also served as conductor and vocal coach for the Altenburger Musiktheater Akademie in Altenburg, Germany. He was Music Advisor to the StaatsOperette Dresden, Assistant Conductor for Arizona Opera's two productions of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, and a member of the music staff for the Minnesota Dance Theatre. Dr. Reber also served as Music Director for both the Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre at California State University, Fullerton, and was a member of the conducting faculty of The University of Texas at Austin where he founded the Chamber Orchestra and conducted productions of the Opera Theatre. As a recital accompanist, he has performed with singers and instrumentalists in Germany, Austria, Macedonia and throughout the United States. A frequent lecturer on opera and symphonic repertory, he has presented lectures to audiences and classes in Macedonia, Austria, Germany and several U. S. cities. For Arizona Opera, he created and presented introductory lectures for more than twenty different productions and well as a series of special topic lectures for their two productions of Wagner’s Ring.
Sandra McClain, Voice Instructor, Coach (Session One), received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Meredith College, a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, and the Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. She is a national winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, has appeared extensively in opera and concert throughout the eastern United States. Her recent concert engagements have included performances in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and Illinois. Symphonic engagements include Libby Larsen’s Mary Cassatt with the FAU Symphony, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Charlottesville-University Symphony and Berlioz’ song cycle Les Nuits d’Eté with the Waynesboro Community Orchestra. Dr. McClain’s recording of American art songs entitled “Love’s Seasons” with renowned accompanist Margo Garrett is available on the Musicians Showcase Recordings label (MS1055). Dr. McClain is Visiting Professor of Music at Florida Atlantic University where she teaches voice and is also a member of the graduate faculty. For eleven years, she was Professor of Music at Georgia Southern University where she was head of the Vocal/Choral Committee. She has also taught on the voice faculties of the University of Virginia, James Madison University, Mary Baldwin College, Teachers College (Columbia University), and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. She is in frequent demand as a master class clinician and adjudicator and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing with whom she has held state offices in both Georgia and Virginia.
Jan Horstmann, (Session Two Conductor) is currently the General Music Director, Freiberg Opera House. He studied at the Music Conservatory in Hamburg, Germany. His first employment was as a repetiteur and conductor at the Wuppertaler Theater. He also conducts regularly for the Dance theater company of Pina Bausch. In 1996 he became the first conductor of the Magdeburg Theater and is now the General Music Director of the Middle-Saxony theater. He has also been a guest conductor in Hamburg and Bonn and conducted in Amsterdam, Bonn, Brasilia, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, as well as leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. He also has a secret passion for Cabaret/Street Music and has a one-person Cabaret act which he performs regularly.
Wieland Mueller, (Session One Director) Coach, and Stage-direction, W.M. Studio Chemnitz, studied voice at the Dresden Music Conservatory from 1976-1981. In 1983 he took 3rd place in the Opera Singer Competition of the DDR. He has studied singing with Christian Elssner, Siegfried Lorenz and Kammersänger Wolfgang Hellmich, and also studied German Lied with Gertraun Geissler and Semjon Skigin. During his career he has been engaged in full-time contracts at the opera houses in Halberstadt, Cottbus and Chemnitz, and from 1990-1995 he had a full-time contract at the Staatsoperetta in Dresden. Since 1997 he has been a free-lance artist with guest contracts in theaters throughout Germany, including, Berlin, Dresden, Postdam, Bautzen Görlitz and Plauen. He has given concerts in England, Russia, Poland, Japan, Slovakia, Bosnia and Austria, and has also been a radio and television producer. From 1993 to the present, he has also had various contracts as a singing teacher and director, and in 1997 he founded the Studio W.M. Workshop for Musik and Theater in Chemnitz, and has a special interest in developing young voices to sing in healthy Musical Theater vocal techniques. He regularly takes tours of student singers to resorts on the North Sea in Germany to perform during the summer holidays, where Studio W.M.’s musical reviews are received with great enthusiasm by large audiences.
Christa Heinicke, German Language Instructor. (Sessions One and Two), has special interests in Art and Culture. From 1996 she has worked as a freelance Teacher of English and German at High Schools and colleges in Dresden and Radebeul and Chemnitz. She has also worked as a professional translator for the Coltronic Company in Chesterfield, England.
Her employment experience also includes speech therapy, and work as secretary and counselor for addiction in Dresden alongside her other occupation a housewife who has raised four children. She pursued post-graduate study at the Graduate School of Economics in Dresden and the Webster Graduate Studies Centre in London and also did further Postgraduate studies in European Marketing Consultancy. She has studied at the Linguistic School of Berlitz in Dresden in the subjects of economics, business management and marketing. She received her diploma at the Humboldt University of Berlin which qualified her to teach English and German.
Hans Meißner, Conductor and Accompanist-Coach (Session One), has had a distinguished career as the first conductor of the Chemnitz opera house for many years. He first began coaching Wieland Müller as a boy soprano for the Chemnitz Opera house production of Die Zauberflöte. Now semi-retired, Mr. Heinz enjoys working with singers of all levels and abilities and continues a close musical association with Studio W.M. in Chemnitz, both as an opera conductor/coach and as a collaborative artist for concerts and recitals.
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