Berlin Opera Academy

Tomorrow is the last chance to apply.

If you’ve been thinking about gaining real insight into how opera works in Germany, this is the moment to act.

80+ opera houses. Year-round contracts. A system built around consistent performing opportunities. Germany—and the wider DACH region—offers a professional landscape unlike anywhere else.

At Berlin Opera Academy, the focus is on immersion: stepping into fully staged productions, engaging in intensive training, and experiencing first-hand how the system functions from the inside.

This is your opportunity to spend the summer in Berlin, working closely with faculty and fellow artists in a focused, professional environment.

Applications close tomorrow, this is your last chance!
www.berlinoperaacademy.com

✨You could spend your summer working with a director who has built an international career shaping compelling, psychologically rich opera productions and bringing that same level of detail and storytelling into the rehearsal room.

Meet James Dickinson - a dynamic director and accomplished international singer known for his imaginative, actor-focused approach to opera. His work spans productions across Europe, where he has developed a reputation for creating visually striking performances grounded in clear dramatic intention and strong ensemble work.

This summer at Berlin Opera Academy, singers will have the opportunity to work closely with him, diving deep into character, text, and staging. Their rehearsals focus on unlocking authentic performances, helping artists connect voice, body, and narrative in a way that resonates on stage.

It is a rare chance to refine your craft with directors who are deeply invested in developing the next generation of opera performers.

The kind of experience that takes your interpretation to the next level.

Applicationsclose in a few days! April 1st is the final deadline:
🔗 Apply at https://www.berlinoperaacademy.com

80+ opera houses. Year-round contracts. Real work.
While other countries produce a handful of shows… Germany produces thousands annually - along with Austria and Switzerland.

This isn’t just about prestige - it’s about access. Access to work opportunities, to a culture that actively supports and values the art form, and to a network of professionals across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

That’s exactly where Berlin Opera Academy comes in. We sit at the intersection between your training and what comes next. Our focus is on giving singers the opportunity to step into fully staged productions, collaborate with industry professionals, and gain a clear understanding of how the system here actually works. Whether this is your first exposure and you’re looking to explore, or you’re ready to take a more professional step, BOA supports you within the framework of a vibrant summer festival in Berlin.

Our upcoming extended final deadline is NEXT WEEK - casting is already underway. This is the absolute last chance for the Summer 2026 festival.

If this feels aligned for you:
• Explore the festival details
• Consider which roles suit your voice
• Reach out with any questions - we’re always happy to help

If you’ve been thinking about building experience in Germany, this is a natural moment to take that step.

🎭 Applications open until April 1
🔗 Apply now: https://www.berlinoperaacademy.com

✨ A great opera performance begins in the pit, where musical leadership shapes everything that happens on stage.

Meet Kevin Class - an accomplished conductor and répétiteur who has worked extensively in opera houses and training programs across Europe, collaborating closely with singers to bring clarity, style, and dramatic energy to every production.

This summer at Berlin Opera Academy, singers will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform under his musical direction, working on ensemble, interpretation, and the detailed musical preparation that underpins every successful opera performance.

For emerging artists, working with a conductor who understands both the orchestral and vocal sides of the art form offers an invaluable perspective inside the rehearsal process.

A kind of mentorship that strengthens both musicianship and stage confidence.

🎭 Applications open until April 1
🔗 Learn more: https://www.berlinoperaacademy.com

Strong opera performances begin with thoughtful direction and a rehearsal room that encourages real artistic exploration.

Meet Caroline Staunton - an accomplished opera director known for creating productions that are dramatically vivid, musically informed, and deeply connected to the performers on stage. Her work focuses on helping singers unlock the dramatic truth of a role while developing the physical and theatrical presence that today’s opera world demands.

This summer at Berlin Opera Academy, artists will work closely with her in rehearsal as full productions come to life, exploring character, movement, storytelling, and the detailed stagecraft that turns a role into a fully realized performance.

For young singers, this kind of collaboration offers something invaluable: the chance to refine not only the voice, but the artistry and dramatic instinct that make a performance unforgettable.

🎭 Applications open until April 1
🔗 Learn more: https://www.berlinoperaacademy.com

✨ Imagine spending your summer working with a conductor who regularly leads productions across Europe and brings that same professional insight directly into the rehearsal room.

Meet Matthew Toogood - an experienced opera conductor known for his dynamic work with young singers and emerging artists. His career has taken him to opera houses and festivals across Europe, where he has built a reputation for musical precision, collaborative rehearsal work, and a deep understanding of the operatic voice.

This summer at Berlin Opera Academy, singers will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform under his baton, working closely on style, ensemble, and the musical details that bring an opera performance to life.

It is a rare chance to develop your craft in the rehearsal room with a conductor who is deeply committed to the training of the next generation of opera artists.

The kind of experience that shapes performers long after the summer ends.

🎭 Applications open until April 1
🔗 Learn more: https://www.berlinoperaacademy.com
(Photos and Info from https://www.matthewtoogood.com/)

Meet Sophie Kidwell, one of BOA's most fantastic Alumni, not only because she's talented but because she's an amazing woman. This wonderful mezzo-soprano sang with BOA in 2018 and 2019, joining the summer festival staff in 2021. To paint a picture of what being a versatile artist looks like today in the DACH region, here's what Sophie's been up to since moving here: ""Mezzo-soprano Sophie Kidwell is the 2024 winner of the Young Welsh Singer of the Year competition and a prize winner of the 43rd International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition 2025, where she was offered a two-year soloist contract at Stadttheater Bühnen Bern. Praised in the German, Austrian and Swiss press for her “voluminous, velvety smooth and elegant voice”, distinguished by an ""impressive usable range"" and ""sonorous lower register"", Sophie has been described as ""a name that opera fans should remember"".

Sophie has been engaged at Theater Basel for the past two years, where she most recently sang Carmen (Carmen, Bizet) with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. Her further roles at Theater Basel have included Maddalena (Rigoletto, Verdi), Alto Soloist (Requiem, Mozart), Flora (La Traviata, Verdi), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold, Wagner), Grimgerde (Die Walküre, Wagner), Flosshilde (Götterdämmerung, Wagner), Frédéric (Mignon, Thomas), among others.

In the 2025/26 season Sophie will make her Italian debut in Palermo at Teatro Massimo, along with her role debut as Olga (Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky) at Theater Aachen, and Maddalena (Rigoletto, Verdi) at Opéra de Lausanne."" - https://www.sophiekidwell.com/ Congratulations on your incredible achievements to date, we are so thrilled to continue to watch you thrive as a celebrated performer! Thanks for being part of our community and inspiring young singers to walk in your footsteps!
(Photography: Kamila Korgól and Petra Moser)

Good news for anyone still planning their summer opera training:

Due to the incredible level of interest this year, Berlin Opera Academy has decided to re-open applications for a short time and extend the deadline until April 1.

If you thought you had missed your chance to join us this summer, this is your moment. We are welcoming late applications from singers, instrumentalists, and apprentices who want to spend the summer performing, training, and creating opera in one of Europe’s most vibrant cultural capitals.

Every summer, artists from around the world come together in Berlin to rehearse, perform full productions, and work closely with leading professionals from the international opera world.

If you’ve been thinking about it… take this as your sign.

New application deadline: April 1, apply online at www.berlinoperaacademy.com!

⏰ TODAY IS YOUR LAST CHANCE

The FINAL APPLICATION DEADLINE for this summer’s Berlin Opera Academy is here.

If you’ve been thinking about applying - this is your moment to take the leap. Spend your summer in Europe performing fully staged opera with orchestra, working with world-class conductors and directors, and joining an international community of emerging artists.

No more “maybe later.”
No more “next year.”
🎭 Applications close TONIGHT.
Apply now.
See you in Berlin!

⏰ TODAY IS YOUR LAST CHANCE

The FINAL APPLICATION DEADLINE for this summer’s Berlin Opera Academy Orchestra is here.

This isn’t just a performance opportunity - it’s a summer of community.
Spend your days making music at a high professional level, and your nights exploring Berlin with an international group of artists who become lifelong friends.

Live together. Rehearse together. Perform a full operatic summer together.
It’s an intense, inspiring, unforgettable experience, both in and out of the pit.

If you’ve been thinking about applying, this is your moment.

🎼 Applications close TONIGHT.
Don’t miss your chance to spend your summer making music - and memories - in Berlin.