Staatsoper Hamburg - Stück-Besetzung: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Musikalische Leitung

Omer Meir Wellber

Musical Direction

Omer Meir Wellber

Omer Meir Wellber has established himself as one of our generation’s leading conductors of operatic and orchestral repertoire alike. He is Music Director of the Teatro Massimo Palermo and from a long association, he is also Music Director of the Raanana Symphonette in Israel. He begins his tenure of General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera as well as Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg in the season 2025/2026. Omer Meir Wellber regularly conducts the Gewandhausorchester zu Leipzig, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, among others.

For the Teatro Massimo’s new season in Palermo, Omer Meir Wellber presented Bellini’s opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi in a production by Idan Cohen and he conducted Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde directed by Daniele Menghini. Highlights of recent seasons include new productions of Kaiserrequiem – his own creation with director Marco Gandini, which brings together Viktor Ullman's Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Mozart's Requiem –, Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes in a production by Emma Dante and Wagner's Parsifal in a production by Graham Vick. His innovative work at Teatro Massimo, including the January 2021 production Crepuscolo dei sogni, earned him the 2021 Special Award from Italy's Associazione Nazionale Critici Musicali (National Association of Music Critics).

During his time as Music Director of the Volksoper Vienna, which ended in December 2023 at his own request, Omer Meir Wellber conducted Tchaikovsky's Jolanthe and The Nutcracker, a new creation directed by Lotte de Beer and numerous revivals, such as La Traviata, Mozart's Zauberflöte and Richard Strauss' Salome (in a recreation of Luc Bondy's timeless 1992 production). Under the direction of Omer Meir Wellber, the Volksopernorchester has also made guest appearances at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt and increased its presence in Vienna at the Wiener Konzerthaus with a performance of Verdi's Messa da Requiem, among others. He will continue his relationship with the Volksoper Vienna in 2024/25 where he will conduct his two initially planned new productions: Ella Milch-Sheriff's commissioned composition, her new opera “Alma”, and his creation of the Kaiserrequiem with the Vienna State Ballet, directed and choreographed by Andreas Heise.

Guest performances in the 2023/24 season will see Omer Meir Wellber travel to Bremen with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, to Rome with the Rome Symphony Orchestra, to Leipzig with the Gewandhausorchester, to Prague with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, to Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan) with the Wiener Symphoniker, to Paris with the Orchestre National de France and to Hamburg with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra.

As Omer Meir Wellber was Music Director of the 2023 Toscanini Festival in Parma, Wellber presented a mixture of symphonic and chamber music concerts and took the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini to the Dresdner Musikfestspiele. During the first edition of the festival held in 2022, Wellber conducted a concert version of Puccini's rarely performed opera Les Willis.

Named portrait artist of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in 2022, Omer Meir Wellber appeared on the conductor’s podium and also played accordion, harpsichord and grand piano. Wellber presented 14 varied and unique concerts under the motto “Friendship”. In addition to classical orchestral concerts with the Festival Orchestra of the SHMF and the BBC Philharmonic, the program included chamber music and chanson evenings as well as a four-hand piano recital. True to the theme of “Friendship”, Omer Meir Wellber performed together with mandolinist Jacob Reuven, pianists Fazil Say and Daniel Ciobanu, violinist Veronica Eberle and clarinettist Alessio Vicario, among others.

The most recent CD recordings with Omer Meir Wellber were released in May 2022: The Mandolin Seasons with Jacob Reuven and the Sinfonietta Leipzig (musicians of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) on the Hyperion label and Pop Songs with cellist Jan Vogler and the BBC Philharmonic on the Sony label. Previous releases include the first joint recording by Wellber and the BBC Philharmonic of works by Ben-Haim (Chandos), Tavener's No longer mourn for me with Steven Isserlis and the Philarmonia Orchestra (Hyperion), and DVD releases of Wagner's Parsifal (Unitel/C Major), Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Naxos), Puccuni's Madama Butterfly (Opus Arte), Boito's Mefistofele (Unitel), Verdi's Aida (Bel Air Classique), and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (Unitel).

Omer Meir Wellber made his literary debut with his first novel "Die vier Ohnmachten des Chaim Birkner", published by Berlin Verlag in autumn 2019. Originally written in Hebrew, the novel was published in Wellber’s native tongue by Keren (“ארבע פעמים התעלף חיים בירקנר”) in July 2023. Its critical acclaim has also seen the book’s publication in Italian by Sellerio Editore (2021), and in French by Éditions du sous-sol (2022). The novel tells the story of Chaim Birkner, a tired and broken man who is forced by his daughter to face life one last time.

"Die Angst, das Risiko und die Liebe - Momente mit Mozart" – the conductor’s first book – was published in spring 2017. Co-written with German author and journalist Inge Kloepfer, the book shares his personal understanding of the universal emotions addressed in the three Mozart/Da Ponte operas - Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, establishing him as a great voice of classical music.

Omer Meir Wellber has made several debuts in recent years: In 2023 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. In August 2021, Wellber made his debut at the Bregenz Festival with works by Ives and Bruckner and Strauss's Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra with Ramón Ortega Quero (oboe) and the Wiener Symphoniker. He made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic in November 2019 with the world premiere of Ayal Adler, with the BBC Philharmonic with works by Mozart, Haydn, and Ben-Haim at the BBC Proms in July 2019, and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York with performances of Bizet's Carmen in October 2018. In summer 2018, he conducted the festival premiere of Puccini's Madama Butterfly (BlueRay Opus Arte, 2019) at the Glyndebourne Festival, where he debuted in 2014 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra's production of Eugene Onegin. In March 2017, he conducted the premiere of Giordano's Andrea Chenier at the Bavarian State Opera, where he had already conducted the new production of Mefistofele in 2015 (DVD Unitel, 2016). In November 2016, he conducted the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden in the world premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina's oratorio On Love and Hate.

Omer Meir Wellber's longstanding collaboration with the Semperoper Dresden culminated in his position as Principal Guest Conductor from 2018 to 2022, alongside his receipt of the Rudi Häussler Priz for contributions to the development of the opera house. As early as 2010 he conducted new productions and revivals of Aida, Ariadne auf Naxos, Daphne, the Da Ponte Trilogy, The Magic Flute, Grand Macabre, Guntram, Madama Butterfly, Nabucco, Rosenkavalier, Salome, and Tannhäuser. Symphony concerts with the Sächsische Staatskapelle were also part of the program.

During his time as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, Omer Meir Wellber achieved highlights such as concerts at the BBC Proms, Bridgewater Hall, and guest concerts at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Wellber also hosted a conversation video series with the BBC named The Music Room: the first series focused on Beethoven’s 9 symphonies in 2020, before turning to Ben-Haim for a second installment (The Music Room: Discovering Ben-Haim).

Omer Meir Wellber served as the Music Director at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia from 2010 to 2014, leading both orchestral and operatic performances – one of the most remarkable, Eugene Onegin, was published on DVD by C Major. He conducted Verdi’s operatic masterpiece trifecta – Rigoletto (2011), La Traviata (2012) and Il Trovatore (2013) at the Vienna Festival.

From 2008 to 2010, Omer Meir Wellber assisted Daniel Barenboim at the Berliner Staatsoper Unter den Linden and at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, directing the Scala in a critically hailed performance of Verdi’s Aida at the Israeli Opera. In 2010, he also stepped in for Seiji Ozawa, conducting Strauss’ Salome at the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto.

Omer Meir Wellber’s close ties to his native Israel are evident in his collaboration with the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra, of which he has been Music Director since 2009. The orchestra dedicates itself to developing traditions of Jewish music, promoting contemporary Israeli music, and curating music education projects which reach more than 70,000 children each year. For over a decade he was regular guest conductor at the Israeli Opera where he conducted performances of Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, Puccini’s Turandot and Madama Butterfly, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Gounod’s Faust and Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, among others. In 2007 he debuted with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2016 led the orchestra in its residency at the Dresden Music Festival.

The conductor is a Good Will Ambassador for Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli-based non-profit organization that provides critical cardiac medical healthcare. In addition, Omer Meir Wellber collaborates with various institutions through outreach programs and fosters the next generation of conducting students through educational lectures.

Born in Be’er Sheva in 1981, Omer Meir Wellber began studying the accordion and piano when he was five years old. He took composition lessons with Tania Taler from the age of nine before continuing under Michael Wolpe until 2004. After graduating from the Be’er Sheva Conservatory in 1999, he received a music scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation which he used to study Conducting and Composition at the Jerusalem Music Academy from 2000-2008 with Eugene Zirlin and Mendi Rodan.

Omer Meir Wellber plays a custom-built accordion, model POLARIS, from the renowned Italian accordion manufacturer PIGINI.

Omer Meir Wellber is dressed by Giorgio Armani and Bulgari.

Find further information about Omer Meir Wellber here.

Performances

photo: (c) Hilde van Mas

Chorleitung

Alice Meregaglia

Fiordiligi

Olga Kulchynska

Soprano

Olga Kulchynska

Born in 1990, Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska gained the attention of the international opera world in 2015 when she was awarded First Prize at the internationally renowned Francisco Viñas Vocal Competition in Barcelona. She subsequently debuted to great acclaim at the Zürich Opera as Giulietta in Christof Loy’s new production of “I Capuleti e i Montecchi”, opposite Joyce DiDonato and conducted by Fabio Luisi, after which she bowed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Musetta in “La Bohème”. Kulchynska has since been invited for major debuts at the Paris Opera, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Metropolitan Opera.

Kulchynska has been a leading member of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow since 2014, when she made her debut as Marfa in the new production of Rimsy-Korsakov’s “The Tsar’s Bride”. This season, she appeared at the Bolshoi as Corinna in Rossini’s “Il Viaggo a Reims” and Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro”. Subsequent engagements for the 2016/17 season include her return to the Zürich Opera for three roles: Giulietta, and her first performances of Adina in “L’elisir d’amore” and Zerlina in “Don Giovanni”.

Other recent performances include Kulchynska’s debut as Gilda in “Rigoletto” at the Bolshoi, her revival of Giulietta in “I Capuleti e i Montecchi” at Zürich Opera, and her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu as Musetta. In the 2017/18 season, Kulchynska will make her debut at the Opera Bastille in Paris as Rosina in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and her debut at the Bavarian State Opera as Susanna in the new production of “Le Nozze di Figaro”.

Olga Kulchynska studied music theory at the Kiev Glier State College of Music, and at the age of 19 she began her vocal studies at the Tchaikovsky Kiev National Music Academy of Ukraine with Maria Stefiuk. In addition to her First Prize win at the Viñas Competition, Kulchynska has won many prestigious vocal competitions, including Grand Prix at the 2011 Grigory Alchevsky International Singing Competition in Kharkov, Third Prize at Plácido Domingo’s 2016 Operalia Competition, Third Prize in the 2012 Bul-Bul International Vocal Competition, and First Prize in the 2012 Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition in Kiev. She was also a semi-finalist in the 2012 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna.

Kulchynska was invited to join the Young Artist Program of the Bolshoi Theater in 2013, during which time she made her debut as Marfa. In 2014, she was invited to join the company itself. Kulchynska has participated in several guest appearances with the Bolshoi, singing Marfa in the new production of Rimsky-Korakov’s “The Tsar’s Bride” in February of 2014.

Other roles in the artist’s developing repertoire include Ilia in “Idomeneo”, Pamina in “Die Zauberflöte”, Amina in “La Sonnambula”, Juliette in “Romeo et Juliette”, Leila in “Les Pecheurs de Perles”, Micaëla in “Carmen” and Antonia in “Les Contes d’Hoffmann”.

Performances

Così fan tutte

Dorabella

Simone McIntosh

Guglielmo

Andrew Hamilton

Ferrando

Jonah Hoskins

Despina

Kangmin Justin Kim

Don Alfonso

Chao Deng

Bass-baritone

Chao Deng

Birthplace:
Tianjin, China

Studies:
Vocal studies in Tianjin, China; diploma in voice at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg with Cheryl Studer; master studies with Christian Elsner and in the Lied class of Gerold Huber and opera studio at the Hochschule für Musik Weimar with Prof. Dr. Michail Lanskoi; master class exam at the Hochschule für Musik Dresden with KS Prof. Matthias Henneberg.

Master classes:
With Liang Li, Michaelis Doukakis, John Norris, KS Camilla Nylund, KS Helen Donath, KS Brigitte Fassbaender, Sonja Prina, Alberto Triola, Catherine Foster, Georg Zeppenfeld, Juliane Banse, Roberto Scandiuzzi, KS Deborah Polaski.

Awards:
Prize for Opera Singing of the Concerto Foundation Würzburg (2015), Prize Winner of the International Singing Competition of the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg (2014), Scholarship Holder of the Richard Wagner Association Bayreuth Festival (2014), et al.

Relation to the State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2020/21 season.

Important roles:
Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Escamillo (Carmen), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Peter (Hänsel und Gretel), Fasolt (Das Rheingold), Comte Capulet (Roméo et Juliette), Häuptling Abendwind (Häuptling Abendwind), Ramfis (Aida), Gianni Schicchi/Betto di Signa (Gianni Schicchi), Papageno/Sprecher /2. Geharnischte (Die Zauberflöte), Frank (Die Fledermaus), Don Fernando (Fidelio), Schaunard (La Bohème), Herr Fluth (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Kilian/Ottokar (Der Freischütz), Buonafede (Il mondo della luna), Förster (Das schlaue Füchslein), Le Duc (Romeo et Juliette), Angelotti (Tosca), Colas (Bastien et Bastienne), Priamus (Les Troyens), Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro), Marullo/Ceprano (Rigoletto), Zuniga (Carmen), De Retz (Les Huguenots), Lord Syndham (Zar und Zimmermann), Spielmann (Königskinder), Journalist (Lulu), Osias, Oberpriester (Judith), et al.

Stages:
Hamburg State Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Bavarian State Opera, Dresden Semper Opera, German Opera on the Rhine, Dresden Philharmonic, Braunschweig State Theater, German National Theater Weimar, Dresden State Operetta, Erfurt Theater, Weimarhalle, Saar Music Festival, Shanghai Opera House, et al.

Collaboration with directors:
Peter Konwitschny, Lydia Steier, Barrie Kosky, Mariame Clément,Yona Kim, Manfred Weiß, Sabine Hartmannshenn, Hasko Weber, Anette Leistenschneider, Guy Montavon, Andrea Moses, et al.

Collaboration with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Sebastian Weigle, Stefano Ranzani, John Fiore, Stefan Soltész, Xu Zhong, Daniele Callegari, Speranza Scappucci, Giampaolo Bisanti, Ivan Repušić, Riccardo Minasi, Giacomo Sagripanti, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, Thomas Leo Cadenbach, Moritz Gnann, Felix Krieger, Christoph Gedschold, Kristiina Poska, Tomáš Netopil, Antonino Fogliani, Omer Meir Wellber, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Stefan Lano, Martin Hoff, Georg Fritzsch, et al.

Find further information about Chao Deng here.

Performances

photo: Jie Chen

Orchester

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg

Chor

Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper

Cast

Omer Meir Wellber

Performances

Alice Meregaglia

Performances

Olga Kulchynska

Performances

Simone McIntosh

Performances

Andrew Hamilton

Performances

Jonah Hoskins

Performances

Kangmin Justin Kim

Performances

Chao Deng

Performances

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg

Performances

Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper

Performances