Opera Plus

IMB Presents:
42nd Masterclass and Final Concert in Berlin

Opera Plus 

Maestro Julien Salemkour (Staatsoper Berlin, Barenboim-Said Akademie)
Singers – TBA
Berlin Sinfonietta 
W. A. Mozart
March 9th – 14th 2020
Berlin, Germany

It is a great honor and pleasure to collaborate for the first time with one of the permanent conductors of the Staatsoper Berlin, and regular guest conductor in many other international opera houses and symphony orchestras, Maestro Julien Salemkour. In 2000 Julien Salemkour was appointment Kapellmeister and Assistant of the GMD Daniel Barenboim at the Staatsoper Berlin.
Guest engagements have taken him to Tokyo, the MET, the Scala in Milan, the Semperoper and the Royal Opera in Copenhagen. Julien Salemkour has appeared with the Staatskapelle Berlin on radio and television. He is a regular guest with the Romanian Radio Orchestra, and the Radio Sinfonie Orchester Berlin.

In this masterclass, participants will have the opportunity to study very closely with Maestro Salemkour , who served as a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hans Eisler in Berlin, and in 2012 he temporarily took over the professorship for conducting at the UDK for one semester. He is a regular jury member of the Geneva Conservatory of Music, where he gave a conducting course last year as part of an orchestral project.

A week with a Maestro such as Julien Salemkour and two professional singers will provide the opportunity to study the magnificent operatic music of W. A. Mozart, as well as his overtures and symphonic work. More about Maestro Salemkour here.

About the masterclass

Here is all you need to know about the masterclass’s objectives, its content, logistics and the general schedule. Besides intensive active conducting sessions with our professional orchestra, The Berlin Sinfonietta, and the piano sessions with two pianists, each one of the participants will have the chance to work with Maestro Salemkour and the two professional singers on all the critical aspects of opera and symphonic orchestra conducting . Be prepared for an intense week of deep score studying, musical analysis, conducting technique and more. As always we will hold four orchestra rehearsals (4 hours long each) with the dedicated and patient musicians of the Berlin Sinfonietta, where you will be able to try and learn in a superb, non competitive atmosphere. (Here you can see a typical schedule of our masterclasses. A specific schedule will be sent at a later stage)

Location

For this masterclass we are happy to be invited to hold the masterclass week including the final concert in the very intimate St. Lukas Church, in the center of Berlin, (Bernburger Str. 3-5, 10963). The church has great atmosphere and its regular concert visitors. We are thankful that the masterclass’ final concert was inserted to the church’s concert season programs, and expecting many audiences. 

Final Concert

The Final Concert takes place in the very intimate and welcoming St. Lukas Church, Bernburger Str. 3-5, 10963 Berlin. Unlike others, we insist that ALL of the participants will take part and experience the live performance in the public Final Concert of the masterclass. For us it is the culmination and an integral part of  the intensiv week of tutoring and learning. These concerts are advertised and always attract music lovers, and already became a tradition in the city musical landscape.

Video Recordings

All of the conductors will receive a HD video recording of all rehearsals and of the final concert. We also happy to offer the possibility for the conductors to watch their video on the same day of the rehearsal, in order to prepare for the next day’s session*. The recorded sessions (including the final concert) will be given to each participant right after the final concert on an 8 GB USB stick, which they may keep as a souvenir from the week.

Together with the USB stick with all video recordings, each participant, active and passive, will receive an official Certificate of Participation signed by Maestro Salmekour.

Participants are welcome to bring their own recording/filming devices.

The course is taught primarily in English and secondarily in German, though speakers of all languages are encouraged to join as well. The orchestra’s musicians, Maestro Salemkour and the other conducting colleagues will be able and happy to assist.

LIMITED NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS!

Repertoire:

W. A. Mozart

• Arias and Duets from:
  Don Giovanni,  Così fan tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Clemenza di Tito
  Click here for the list of the selected arias
• Overtures:
  Don Giovanni,  Così fan tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro
  
• Symphony No. 39 in E♭ major KV 543
  
  Participants are required to prepare all the repertoire pieces in order to gain the maximum from the masterclass’ week.

*Conductors who wish to review their video on the same day, should bring a device that can play videos (a laptop or a tablet) that have the option to read files from a USB sticks.

Conductors in all stages of their development are welcome to apply here.
For more information, don’t hesitate to email us.

See you in Berlin!

IMB