THEATRE director Heather Tan was drawn to the relatively obscure art form of German opera at an early age.
Her experiences behind the scenes in Singapore theatre led to further education, at the University of Music in Vienna, and more work in opera in Austria and Germany.
Currently based in Germany, Heather is filled with the desire to expand the reach of musiktheater (German for music theatre, which is used to describe opera) and to travel the form beyond its geographical confines.
Musiktheater has taken to the Silk Route, in a quest to spin yarns and sing tales to an Asian audience.
Heather’s new venture, Opera Festival Asia (OFA), will be presenting AUSBRUCH — which translates to “break out”. This is OFA’s break out foray into foreign lands with German classical opera. The show ropes in talent wherever they may be found, to raise their voices and perform to the small, enthusiastic, and hopefully, growing, audience for opera.
Talent Scouting
Heather’s ambitious plan has not been without its challenges.
The variety of Asian languages and cultures to bridge meant tweaking plans for various locations and appreciating the nuances required in delivering the final content to each market.
“It depends on the location, but as we are still considered a start up, in each country we could have 100-200 in the audience,” Heather reckons. “But, virtually, we reach thousands globally,” she adds.
The physical concerts are important in achieving her goal to grow the reach of OFA. But, she has to adapt her approach accordingly.
“It varies, depending on education level, tourism and expatriate population in each market,” she explains.
“For countries more exposed to classical music, German classical opera does not need too much explanation. Singapore being a good of this.
“In Thailand, it needs to be introduced slowly, as audiences are generally not interested in opera. So, we approached it with a lighter repertoire, blending rap, pop, jazz and musicals in the concerts.
“With developing countries like Cambodia, we introduce opera via workshops and education.”
The long-term, upside potential of her dream kept Heather focused on the “creation of unique works, blending different cultures”.
ALSO READ: TEST TEST TEST! Or things will break down.
Two-way Inspiration
Heather’s aim is to incorporate Asian elements in the operas.
Some works have integrated Asian motifs such as art from Japan, Ikebana. “I am also looking into introducing Asian composers into Europe who have composed operas that include Asian elements,” Heather outlines her future plans.
The limited reach of German classical opera may pose a stumbling block, which Heather admits serves as a high hurdle to clear.
“German classical opera requires good technique, but also good diction, and this can come with living and working in German-speaking countries for extended amounts of time, and actually knowing the language and culture, apart from having a good voice.
“This is actually essential also for operas that are not in German, thus I believe an extended amount of time living in Europe is essential, if one is to take any form of classical opera to a high professional level.”
While such talent is not commonly found, they are not impossible to discover, especially in an age of increased communication and mobility.
“In many regions, there will be a handful of well-educated singers that come also from German and Austrian Music universities, and for this group, the OFA company will be developing a sub-section for German–Austrian–Swiss Music and Artist Alumni Graduates, which I plan to bring together for projects.”
AUSBRUCH, as it journeys through Southeast Asia, will feature talent from Europe, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, planting the seeds for classical opera’s growth in this region.
AUSBRUCH — a German x SEA Classical Vocal Breakout, is supported by the German and Austrian Embassies in Singapore and the Singapore Global Network.
