Great success for Weimar voice student
Nils Wanderer wins a 2nd prize at Placido Domingo's "Operalia" competition
The Weimar voice student Nils Wanderer can claim an extraordinary success for himself: The countertenor from Prof. Siegfried Gohritz's singing class at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar won a 2nd prize at Placido Domingo's internationally renowned "Operalia" competition.
The competition took place from 24 to 30 October in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The 1st prize was shared by the soprano Juliana Grigoryan from Armenia and the tenor Anthony León from the USA. Also winning 2nd prize were tenor Duke Kim (USA) and soprano Serena Sáenz (Spain).
"It was a very intense, challenging but also wonderful time," says Nils Wanderer, who is studying for a Master's degree at the Department of Vocal Studies and Music Theatre in Weimar.
"I already knew many of my fellow participants, including close friends and confidants. You knew that everything was at stake here and that it would have life-changing consequences. The Operalia team was incredibly accommodating, friendly and professional. I am very humbled and deeply grateful that I was able to participate," said Wanderer.
In the course of the week-long competition, Nils Wanderer sang the arias "Stille amare" from Handel's "Tolomeo", "Oblivion soave" from Monteverdi's "Poppea", "I know a bank" from Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Va tacito e nascosto" from Handel's "Giulio Cesare", among others. In the finale, he sang the aria "Stille amare" once again, accompanied by the orchestra of the "Latvian National Opera" in Riga.
Nils Wanderer is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is currently studying opera singing in the class of Prof. Siegfried Gohritz at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar. As a soloist he has already worked with orchestras such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Le Concert des Nations, Staatskapelle Halle, Staatskapelle Weimar, La Folia Barockorchester and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.
He has made guest appearances at numerous theatres and festivals, including the Opéra de Lille, the Teatro Massimo Palermo, De Nederlandse Reisopera, Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Theater Bonn and Händelfestspiele Halle.
Nils Wanderer has given recitals with pianists such as Daniel Heide and Marcelo Amaral. He has also performed at London's Barbican Centre - and under the baton of Kent Nagano at the Berlin Philharmonie. In collaboration with Jordi Savall, he performed Bach's St Matthew Passion at the Paris Philharmonie.
His concert and oratorio repertoire ranges from Purcell, Vivaldi, the Bach family, Handel and Pergolesi to Berlioz, Wagner, Elgar, Bernstein and Cage. Several of his concerts have been recorded by the BBC, Bayerischer Rundfunk, SWR, Arte, Mezzo and Medici.tv.
Nils Wanderer won 1st prizes at the Handel Competition in Karlsruhe, the Anton Rubinstein International Singing Competition and the Mimas Music Festival Competition. He is the first countertenor to reach the final of the "Concours Musical International de Montréal", where he was awarded the Audience Prize.
His next engagements include Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Oberon) at the Opéra de Lille, Handel's "Messiah" under Jordi Savall at the Salzburg Festival and Monteverdi's "Orfeo" (Pastore/Speranza) at the Staatsoper Hannover.
[2 November 2022]