Program Director

Stage director, acting teacher, coach of English, French and Italian diction. Ms. Bachman consistently receives critical praise for her innovative opera staging. Conversant in five languages, she has directed more than 50 operas in over 30 companies in North America, Japan and Argentina. In addition to her extensive operatic resume, Ms. Bachman spent 13 years as the stage director, acting teacher and production coordinator for the San Francisco Girls’ Chorus’ Opera Arts Training Program. She has taught at the Baltimore Opera Young Artist Program, University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, Webster University in St. Louis, and the Banff Centre for the Arts.

Some of the companies Elizabeth has worked with include: The Metropolitan Opera (Where she has directed such artists as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Kathleen Battle, and Sherrill Milnes), Teatro Argentino, Boston Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Portland Opera, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Opera Columbus, and Òpera de Puerto Rico, where she was Artistic Advisor for 5 years

Music Director

Prompter & Coach, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Metropolitan Opera, Australian Opera, Oper der Stadt Köln, Semper Oper Dresden

Kathryn Wright is an American coach/prompter living and working in Germany. She received her training at McGill University in Montreal, as well as under Joan Dornemann in New York.

She is currently engaged at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, under the musical leadership of Christian Thielemann. She is looking forward to a guest engagement this coming season at the Staatsoper in Hamburg, assisting Maestra Young on a new production of Simone Boccanegra.

Voice

Soprano,  NY City Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco  Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Michigan State University

She has been hailed by The New York Times for her "dark soprano that warms the ear." She made her international debut as Marietta/Marie in Korngold's Die Tote Stadt at the Brisbane (Australia) Biennial. Her successes include Lucrezia Borgia at the Caramoor International Music Festival, Aida with Opera Carolina, as well as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Caramoor, Opera Carolina, and Lake George Opera Festival. Other engagements included Alice Ford opposite the Falstaff of Sherrill Milnes at the New York City Opera, Maddalena in Andréa Chénier, Elsa in Lohengrin, Foreign Princess in Rusalka, and Leonora in Il Trovatore for Seattle Opera, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni for New York City Opera, and the title role in Norma for Teatro de Colon, Bogotà. In addition, she has sung leading roles with the San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Washington Opera.

Voice

Carol Kirkpatrick, Author of the best selling book “ARIA READY: The Business of Singing", uses her 30 years of performance and business experience as an International Opera Singer, plus her certification as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming Trainer, to build the powerful, life-altering Aria Ready “Life Skills” workshops for singers, teachers of singing, and coaches.

Acting & Movement

Internationally known Actor, Director, Writer and Clown

Paul Kustermann was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Following an eight year education in acting, dance, music, mime theater, directing and circus arts at various international schools, Paul founded the "Kit-n-Kaboodle Clown Theater Company" in California with which he toured the US for seven years. In 1983 he moved to Amsterdam and together with Gary Edwards, built the "3 Wheel Circus" Fools Theater which toured 16 countries over seven years - attaining cult status in Germany and Holland.

German

Claudia Schwarzmann is the Director of the Achensee Volkshochschule.

Administration

Martina Mayer passed her degree in "Sports, Culture and Event Management" in September 2008. She has worked in the administration of the Tyrolean Opera Program since February 2007.