The Swiss soprano Edith Mathis studied in Lucerne and debuted there in 1956 in The Magic Flute. Mozart would remain one of her specialties, her roles including Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Despina in Cosí fan tutte and Pamina in The Magic Flute. She recorded the latter role in 1980 under Herbert von Karajan. Other roles include Sophie and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and Agathe and Aennchen in Der Freischütz.

Edith Mathis sang in the creations of von Einem's Der Zerissene, Henze's Der junge Lord and Heinrich Sutermeister's Le roi Berénger. She was also a singer of oratorios and Lieder. Her Lieder recordings include Volume 21 of the complete songs of Franz Schubert for Hyperion Records.

Several of her most notable recorded roles in Mozart operas include Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro for the Berlin Staatsoper with Karl Bohm conducting, as well as Idamante in Idomeneo with the Staatskapelle Dresden. A re-released recording of Don Giovanni with the Vienna Philharmonic and Karl Bohm from the 1977 Salzburg Festival features her in one of her best-known roles, Zerlina.

Dominique Mentha, Director Theater Lucerne

Dominique Mentha was born in Berne in 1955. After graduation at the Munich Hochschule für Musik with Ernst Haefliger (singing) and August Everding (stage direction) he performed as a singer and stage director in most German speaking countries and in France, He was the founder of the Berne Opera Group in 1982, became opera director in Bremen 1983, in Würzburg 1987, in Münster 1989 to 1991, at the Vienna Volksopera 1992-2003. In 2004 Mentha took over as director of the Lucerne theater where he has since gained wide acclaim. Mentha has realized som 80 opera productions in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the US. He has lectured at the International Institute for Culture (IKM) and at the Conservatorium in Vienna.

Toni Gradsack, Opera Zurich

Toni Gradsack is at present artistic administrator and responsible for casting at the Opernhaus Zurich, Switzerland’s biggest opera company


Aviel Cahn, Vlaamse Opera, Antwerpen-Gent

Aviel Cahn, born 1974 in Zurich. From 2001 to 2004 he was artistic planning & casting director at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. Before he worked with the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing and with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in Zurich as artistic administrator.

From 2004 to 2007 he was the director of the Theatre Bern. Afterwards he was the manager of the Chamber Orchestra Zurich ZkO, until he got appointed as the director of the Vlaamse Opera Antwerpen/Gent Belgium


Marc Adam, Director Opera Bern

Born in Strassburg. Degree at “Institut National Superieur des Arts du Spectacle”. He worked as a producer in France, Germany, England, Italy, Australia and in Switzerland. Main productions: “Le Nozze di Figaro”, “Der Freischütz”, “Pelleas er Melisande”, “Don Carlos”, “Ariadne auf Naxos”, “Cendrillon” in London. “La Sonnambula” at the Opera Comique Paris and Manfred Gurlitt’s “Wozzek” at the Theatre des Arts de Rouen and at the Theatre Regio Turin. For wich he was awarded 1997 the Grand Prix de la Critique. 1986 to 1990 art director of the french theatre “Perspectives” festival in Saarbrücken. From 1990 to 1998 director of the Theatre des Arts Rouen/Opera de Normandie. 2000 to 2007 director Theatre Lübeck. Since the season 2007/2008 director Theatre Bern.


Hedwig Fassbender, Musikhochschule Frankfurt

Hedwig Fassbender studied the piano at Cologne Musikhochschule before studying Gesang at the Munich Hochschule für Musik with Ernst Haefliger. She started her career as an opera singer in Basel and Freiburg where she performed the main roles of dramatic Mezzo soprano ending up as a dramatic soprano. She was named "singer of the year" for her interpretation of Sieglinde in the "Ring" in Liège 2003-2005. She has recorded Isolde with Leif Segerstam for Naxos in 2005 and, also highly praised by the critics, "songs of love and death" by Richard Strauss. She will sing Küsterin (Jenufa) in Bordeaux 1010, and Herodias (Salome) in Monte Carlo in 2011. Hedwig Fassbender is a professor for singing at the Frankfurt Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst and regularily teaches masterclasses at the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart.

Dr. Birgit Meyer

Born and grown up in Cologne, Meyer began in 1979 with the study of the medicine at the university of Regensburg which she continued in 1982 in Munich. End of the medicine study in 1986. Afterwards beginning of a study of theatre science in Munich. Different activities followed in the theatre. In the beginning of 1988 a firm employment in the medical centre (right of the Isar) in Munich lined up. In the beginning of 1990 doctorate to the doctor of the medicine. In parallel she continues the study of theatre sciences with main focus on music theatre, until she was engaged in 1992 by director Dominique Mentha as a Dramaturg to the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck. There she worked till 1999, last as a leading Musikdramaturgin. While the summers 1997 till 2001 activity for the Salzburg festival where she worked together with Sir Roger Norrington, Silvain Cambreling, Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Giehlen, Sir Charles Mackerras, Kent Nagano, Karl-Ernst and Ursel Herrmann, Christoph Marthaler and Peter Sellars. From September 1999 to August 2009 Birgit Meyer was Chefdramaturgin and member of the management in the Vienna Volksoper, from 1999 until 2003 under the directory of Dominique Mentha. In Vienna she conceived and led between 1999 and 2004 various production-related exhibitions and events in the Austrian theatrical museum, in the RadioKulturhaus, in the Italian cultural institute and in the society of the friends for music theatre. From 2004 to 2008 teaching assignment in the Bavarian theatrical academy, Munich. In 2008 / 09 seminar at the university of Vienna, institute of music science, on the subject: „Last dance around Saint Stephan“ from Ernst Krenek. Since autumn 2009 teaching assignment at the university for music and showing art Vienna in the field Dramaturgie for the students of the course of stage direction.Since September 2009 Meyer is Opera director and Chefdramaturgin at the Opera House Cologne.

Stephan Mösch, Chefredaktor Opernwelt

PD Dr. Stephan Mösch studierte Musik-, Theater- und Literaturwissenschaft in Berlin sowie Gesang an der dortigen Universität der Künste und in Stuttgart. Er war Stipendiat der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes und der Richard-Wagner-Stipendienstiftung. Promotion mit einer Studie zu Boris Blacher (Der gebrauchte Text, Stuttgart 2002). Habilitation 2008 (Weihe, Werkstatt, Wirklichkeit. &bdquoParsifal“ in Bayreuth 1882-1933, Kassel et al. 2009). Beide Monografien wurden mit Preisen ausgezeichnet. Lehraufträge an den Universitäten Bayreuth, Marburg, Wien und Zürich. Verantwortlicher Redakteur der Zeitschrift Opernwelt. Mitherausgeber des Jahrbuchs OPER und einer CD-Reihe. Radiosendungen für zahlreiche ARD-Anstalten; Fernsehmoderation für ARTE. Veröffentlichungen zur Musikgeschichte des 18. bis 20. Jahrhunderts, zu Theorie und Praxis des Gesanges, zur Librettogeschichte, zur Musikvermittlung und zum Thema Musik und Medien. Jurymitglied u.a.: Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Berlin), Bundeswettbewerb Gesang (Berlin), Competizione dell'Opera (Dresden), Internationaler Wettbewerb für Liedkunst (Stuttgart), Concours Ernst Haefliger (Bern), Belvedere-Wettbewerb (Wien), Internatonaler Wettbewerb für Regie und Bühnenbild (Graz).

Please find out about the jury in the year 2008