Democracy | Opera | Politics
In the centenary year of the iconic Kroll Opera in Berlin and at a time when Western democracies are facing increasing challenges, the new music and discussion series “Opera and Democracy” is dedicated to the political mandate of art and discusses the role of musical theater on both sides of the Atlantic. The Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles, the former residence of the Mann family in American exile and today an important German American cultural forum, is cooperating with renowned opera houses in Germany and partners in the USA to bring together international academics and artists for an exciting dialogue about opera and democracy, past and present.
In the centenary year of the iconic Kroll Opera in Berlin and at a time when Western democracies are facing increasing challenges, the new music and discussion series “Opera and Democracy” is dedicated to the political mandate of art and discusses the role of musical theater on both sides of the Atlantic. The Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles, the former residence of the Mann family in American exile and today an important German American cultural forum, is cooperating with renowned opera houses in Germany and partners in the USA to bring together international academics and artists for an exciting dialogue about opera and democracy, past and present.
The series commences on January 20, 2024, at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles, featuring, among others, Alex Ross, Kira Thurman, Daniela Solomon Levy, Kai Hinrich Müller, and Michael Steinberg. The program includes piano operas and compositions by composers such as Kurt Weill and Lily Reiff, which will be performed by the Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble with Jan Vogler as the guest of honor. The German debut of the series is scheduled for Spring, 2024, at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Further stations currently planned include Munich (Bavarian State Opera), Hamburg (Hamburg State Opera), Dresden (Dresden Music Festival), Berlin (Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung, Berlin) and New York (1014 - space for ideas and Goethe-Institut).
