Since the 2020/21 season, the Förderkreis has bundled its activities for the promotion of young talent in the Talent Circle in order to support young singers and musicians in a targeted and even stronger way than before. From the very beginning, the Förderkreis der Deutschen Oper Berlin has ensured that young singers have been given the opportunity to launch their careers and has supported Deutsche Oper Berlin in building up its first-class ensemble.

This successful work is now to be expanded with the Talent Circle project in order to ensure that the Deutsche Oper Berlin's work with young talent remains at a high level. With the Talent Circle, the Förderkreis has now established an additional circle of supporters that not only provides financial support for young musicians, but has also become a circle of personal mentors.

Support the Talent Circle, get to know the next generation of artists and enjoy the opportunity to experience the young singers musically at smaller, exclusive evenings and talk to them about their careers and dreams.

How can you help us to foster young talent?

A donation of €3,100 or more will go towards the cost of a grant for one individual. €15,500 will make you the exclusive sponsor of a stipendiary for a whole year.

If you would like to know more, please contact
Silke Alsweiler-Lösch
E-Mail loesch@deutscheoperberlin.de 
Telephone +49 (030) 34 384 240

The forward-looking approach of our »Förderkreis« consists partly in the fostering of up-and-coming singers. In any given season grants are awarded to at least five stipendiaries, whose proven ability then goes to amplify the combined talents of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In recent years the Society has also entered into private sponsorship arrangements, with patronages being funded by Walter Sandvoss, the Manfred Strohscheer Foundation, Bettina Volle [in memoriam] and a group of enthusiasts running a »bel canto grant«. Bel canto patrons are: Bert Günzburger and Lothar Matthiak, Renate and Claus Jürgen Diederich, Horst Ihloff, Florian Chiutu-Haeger and Rolf Haeger, Dr. Dr. Peter Kaulen and Eliseo Diroma. A huge THANK YOU goes to these people.

The roll call of singers nurtured over the decades is a testimony to the success of the Society, which promoted the early careers of singers such as Martin Gantner, Laura Aikin, Arutjun Kotchinian, Robin Johannsen, Yosep Kang, Ante Jerkunica, Thomas Blondelle, Heidi Stober, Hulkar Sabirova, Hila Fahima, Clémentine Margaine, Tobias Kehrer, Alexandra Hutton, Siobhan Stagg, Attilio Glaser, Annika Schlicht, Judit Kutasi and Robert Watson, all of whom have gone on to carve international reputations.

Alone the performances of DON GIOVANNI in last seasons would be a pale shadow of themselves without the raft of former stipendiaries who populate the cast. The title role is taken – for the third time in succession – by one-time stipendiary Samuel Dale Johnson, with his trusty manservant sung by Seth Carico, another former beneficiary. Donna Anna is rendered by Flurina Stucki, Don Ottavio by Matthew Newlin and Donna Elvira by Jacquelyn Stucker. Recipients of Society grants often sing significant parts in their first season. These have included Hoffmann [Robert Watson], Alfredo Germont [Andrei Danilov] and Adele [Meechot Marrero]. But they are also essential adjuncts to the ensemble in their portrayal of ‘B-list’ characters and their interpretation of minor roles in works by composers ranging from Mozart, Wagner and Puccini to Britten, Shostakovich and Korngold.

Scholarship holders of our Förderkreis 23/24

Lilit Davtyan / Soprano /
Stipendium Theodora Schnauck-Betow / Dr. Angelika Volle

Chance Jonas-O´Toole / Tenor
Stipendium Theodora Schnauck-Betow / Dr. Constanze und Olfert Landt

Alexandra Oomens / Soprano
Stipendium Ulrike und Walter Sandvoss

Martina Baroni / Mezzosoprano
Stipendium Belcanto-Gruppe

Nina Solodovnikova / Soprano
Stipendium Stiftung für die Deutsche Oper Berlin / Bettina Volle

Kyle Miller  / Baritone / 
Stipendium Rolf Haeger und Florian Chiutu-Haeger

Jisu Park / Pianist and répétiteur /
Stipendium der Familie Dr. Constanze und Olfert Landt

Scholarship holders of Opera Foundation
Elissa Pfaender / Mezzosoprano
Jared Werlein / Bass baritone
Maria Vasilevskaya / Soprano

Scholarship holders of WCN South Korea
Geon Kim / Baritone

Scholarship holders of  Opera Foundation Australia
Marlowe Fitzpatrick / Pianist
Stephen Marsh / Baritone

The scholarship of the Patrons of the Deutsche Oper Berlin e. V. enables up to 5 young singers of all nations (not older than 30) to get to know the work processes at an ensemble of an opera house. The scholarship holders can work with coaches at the Deutsche Oper and can perform on stage in mostly smaller parts, according to the needs.

The stipend usually begins on 1 September of the respective calendar year, and ends on 30 June of the following year. The monthly stipend currently amounts to € 1,550.00 and is paid in this amount with no deductions. Because the stipend does not fulfil the requirements for tax exemption as per § 3 no. 44 EstG (Income Tax Act) according to the current legal concept of the fiscal authorities, we explicitly state that the beneficiary is obligated to file this income and state it in their personal income tax statement. The Deutsche Oper Berlin will pay an additional € 1,300.00 gross per month for appearances in opera performances.

To complete an application please send your materials via mail to barrios[at]deutscheoperberlin.de 

We don´t have any kind of deadline for applications. Please see the above mentioned notes for each season.

Considering the large number of applications, it may take several weeks before you receive an answer.

We ask for your understanding!

Needed documents are

an updated CV as pdf file
Your repertoire list
a headshot
an audio file or youtube link with one aria (opera):
if possible out of the Deutsche Oper Berlin repertoire
Please note, we cannot receive any kind of document that you send over a dropbox. Any document that you do not sent in a pdf format is in danger to not be able to get through our firewall.

Season 2024/25

The scholarships for this season have already been awarded.

Season 2025/26

We will be accepting applications for scholarships for the 2025/26 season from autumn 2024.

For any further information please contact
Viviana Barrios, Tel. +49 (0)30-343 84-204
barrios[at]deutscheoperberlin.de

To kick off the 2022/23 season, some of the new scholarship holders introduced themselves to the members of the Talent Circle. In keeping with this commitment of a "musical" family, the Circle met privately for music and a French aperitif.

In this way, supporters and recipients got to know each other personally and talked about current engagements, competitions and the future in a pleasant atmosphere. In addition to financial support, this personal exchange is an essential element of the Talent Circle's work to support the talents as they need it - with master classes, German lessons and many other forms of assistance.

The Talent Circle currently supports six scholarship holders plus, for the first time, a répétiteur who also supports the young singers as a scholarship holder. In addition, the Talent Circle has now taken over the sponsorship of 15 academy students.  

In the photo from left to right: Albert Mena (répétiteur) / Fam. Landt - Arianna Manganello (mezzo-soprano) / Dr. Fabian Sell - Maria Motolygina (soprano) / Belcanto - Joel Allison (former scholarship holder now in the ensemble) - Sua, Jo (soprano) / Gerhard Baum - Artur Garbas (baritone) / Walter Sandvoss.

For the first time, the Talent Circle of the Förderkreis der Deutschen Oper Berlin was able to offer a master class to the scholarship holders of the 2022/2023 season. The Mexican tenor Franciso Araiza - with 50 years of stage experience - trained the young singers not only vocally. As a master of his craft and with an almost inexhaustible repertoire of stage experience, he worked out with the scholarship holders how arias and parts can be performed with more presence and expression.

The South Korean baritone Samueol Park summed it up: "I went on stage as Samueol and came back down as the Marquis of Posa."

The master classes are to be held again next season.