THE ASSOCIATION

ACADEMIA VOCALIS

International Summer Seminar for Singing in Wörgl / Tyrol

More than 38 years ago, a group of music enthusiasts came together to help an idea take shape. The idea was to establish an academy that would offer young singing students of all musical genres the opportunity to deepen and expand their knowledge.

However, the aim was not only to impart knowledge, but also to provide seminar participants with a platform on which they could present themselves to the local audience.

Thus, Academia Vocalis was born.

Vocal seminars covering almost all genres, from jazz to classical, from Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong to Mozart, were to find their place within a broad programme spectrum. Success proved this idea right, and continues to do so. Today, the organisers can look back on an impressive record of musical activity.

For 38 years now, around 120 students from all over the world have come to the Tyrolean Lowlands each year. As an educational academy, Academia Vocalis has offered and continues to offer young artists from across the globe the opportunity to refine their vocal technique during the summer in the fields of opera, operetta, musical theatre, song, oratorio, jazz, Latin jazz and, last but not least, gospel. In addition, seminar participants are given the opportunity to develop their stage presence through public performances as part of final concerts at the end of each seminar.

A special feature: internationally renowned vocal pedagogues

The distinctive qualities of Academia Vocalis are not only visible on the surface; they are also reflected in the exceptional quality of its seminar leaders, who are internationally renowned personalities. Fond memories remain of the much-loved Prof. Dr Erik Werba; the unforgettable opera divas KS Prof. Sylvia Geszty, KS Giulietta Simionato, Prof. Fedora Barbieri, KS Prof. Christa Ludwig, KS Mirella Freni; as well as Prof. Kurt Widmer, KS Prof. Francisco Araiza, KS Brigitte Fassbaender, KS Grace Bumbry, KS Helen Donath and KS Anna Tomowa-Sintow; Prof. Christoph Prégardien; the “prima donna assoluta” Edita Gruberová, who sadly passed away four years ago; and Prof. Juliane Banse and KS Robert Holl, all of whom brought – and continue to bring – the flair of the great opera houses to the Tyrolean Lowlands. Also to be mentioned is Prof. Christoph Prégardien, who will once again be offering a masterclass this year. Of course, one must not forget KS Prof. Hans Hotter, KS Prof. Walter Berry and KS Prof. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whose mere presence already seemed to convey knowledge. And in the world of jazz, international greats such as Timna Brauer, Linda Sharrock and Wolfgang Puschnig, as well as the New York soul singer James Smith and the Brazilian whirlwind Diana Miranda, were always guarantors of fully booked seminars and inspiring concerts. Our exceptional pedagogue and long-standing cornerstone of the programme, Univ.-Prof. Karlheinz Hanser, Dean of mdw Vienna, together with his team, has for many years inspired students from Europe and around the world with now two fixed masterclasses each year, standing for the highest quality and, above all, great intensity in the masterclasses of Academia Vocalis.

Not to be overlooked is the intensive work with children and young people carried out by Academia Vocalis for decades, which takes shape in an outstanding youth and children’s opera workshop under the professional artistic direction of director Norbert Mladek and his team. Numerous excellent productions, musical plays and children’s operas have emerged from this work over the past decades.

These are large-scale projects, realised every five to six years on a specific theme, with a specially written libretto and an accompanying composition – ideally by a Tyrolean composer. These productions usually extend over a period of two years, during which intensive rehearsals, dancing, acting and performing take place, before finally being presented to the public in the form of performances.

The results speak for themselves – numerous children’s operas and musical plays have already been produced. Building on the wonderful experiences and great successes of working with young performers in the acclaimed children’s opera projects “The Brave Little Tailor” by Edgar Seipenbusch (2003), “The Jungle Book” by Franz Baur (2008 and 2009), and the successful production seven years ago “Max & Moritz – Seven Pranks” by Christian Spitzenstätter, as well as the highly successful project shortly before Christmas six years ago, “Silent Night: From a Song of Peace to a Department Store Hit”, the project leader of the children’s opera and long-standing board member of Academia Vocalis, Maria Knoll-Madersbacher, continued her valuable work in nurturing young talent in the region with a musical play for children and young people, specially staged for the 35th anniversary, entitled “WHEN MONEY LEARNED TO RUN”, freely inspired by the Free Money Experiment of then mayor Michael Unterguggenberger in the 1930s. In between these major projects, children and young people in the region receive training in acting, vocal and speech technique, dance and movement, stage presence and directing, as well as body awareness, within the framework of the annual youth and children’s opera workshops of Academia Vocalis.

Mrs Maria Knoll-Madersbacher passed on “the baton” to our excellent and proven director and youth coordinator Norbert Mladek, who will continue the work with children and young people. This was her final major production within the framework of Academia Vocalis. The gratitude for decades of dedication to children and youth work is immense, and the entire Academia Vocalis team thanks her from the bottom of their hearts. Sadly, the great, committed visionary and founding member Maria Knoll-Madersbacher passed away in January 2024. Her legacy – to continue and sustain the children’s and youth academy – will of course be honoured and carried forward.

We are already looking forward to many new and exciting masterclasses and concerts in 2026!