(SF, 4 July 2021) “The expert ear of Evamaria Wieser, the director of the Young Singers Project, is confirmed by the fact that the participants in the Young Singers Project achieve excellent results at competitions all over the world and are engaged by the best opera houses. Of course we involve them every year in our programme; this year it will feature a total of 12 Young Singers Project fellows,” declares Artistic Director Markus Hinterhäuser.
With the Young Singers Project, in 2008 the Salzburg Festival created a high-carat platform for the support of young vocalists, which now looks back upon many successful years. Since 2008, 170 young vocalists from 42 countries have participated in the Young Singers Project. This year, 12 young singers from ten nations will take part. They are from South Africa, Russia, Germany, Romania, Austria, Poland, Japan, the USA, Great Britain and Mexico.
The singers are chosen by Evamaria Wieser at international auditions. As part of their fellowship, they are offered a comprehensive educational programme. Tuition includes not only music lessons and repertoire expansion, but also stage rehearsals, language coaching, lied interpretation and working with Festival artists. Master classes and a strong practical orientation make YSP an international model for young artist programmes. Public master classes will be offered this summer by Malcolm Martineau, Gerald Finley and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner.
Every year, the participants in the Young Singers Project are featured in the children’s opera performances; this year the production is a world premiere by Elisabeth Naske and Ela Baumann: Vom Stern, der nicht leuchten konnte. They also appear in productions of the 2021 Festival season. They present themselves to the audience in a final concert on 28 August. The concert at the Main Auditorium of the Mozarteum Foundation includes the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg under the baton of Adrian Kelly. For many concertgoers, this performance by the young singers is the emotional highlight of their visit to the Salzburg Festival.
Free tickets for the public master classes are available from 3 July 2021 onwards from the Salzburg Festival Shop, Hofstallgasse 1, 5020 Salzburg. Please note that these tickets must be personalized.