Claus Unzen

Claus Unzen (* 1957 in Düsseldorf ) is a German director , musician , dramaturge and university professor . As a professor of directing the musical theater he directs the course of study directing at the Academy of Music "Hanns Eisler" Berlin .

Life

Initially, Claus Unzen was a young student at the Music Academy in Detmold. He studied instrumental music at the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts and in the musical theater directing course led by Götz Friedrich and composition / theory at the Hamburg Conservatory in Blankenese .

At the age of sixteen, two years of work as a lighting technician at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus had piqued his interest in the theater . Before he graduated from high school, he was in charge of opera and drama performances as technical director of the Erkrath town hall. From 1979 to 1984 he was a member of the European Community Youth Orchestra (ECYO) under the musical direction of Claudio Abbado , whose concert tours with Yehudi Menuhin , Herbert von Karajan , Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim took him to all major festivals in Europe. During this time he was involved in the founding of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE).

From 1980 to 1990 he worked as an orchestral musician and assistant director at the Hamburg State Opera , and after graduating as a dramaturge and director. He worked closely with, among others, Christoph von Dohnányi , Hans Zender and Rolf Liebermann . During the Hamburg phase, the intensive examination of works of new music had a lasting impact on his understanding of music theater.

After another permanent contract as director and head dramaturge of the music theater at the municipal theaters of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, Claus Unzen worked as a freelance director at various theaters and festivals. He staged operas, operettas and musicals as well as project work. He has also commissioned opera productions for large companies in the event sector. Particularly noteworthy here is his preoccupation with operas by Mozart and Rossini in collaboration with international soloists. From 1990 to 1993 Claus Unzen was a director in the management team of the “Festivades à Loudenvielle” (Hautes-Pyrénées, France) and in 1999 co-founder and stage director, in 2000 and 2001 also artistic director of the Potsdam Palace Night .

His involvement in teaching began in 1986 with a teaching position in the musical theater directing course at the Hamburg University of Music immediately after completing his studies. Following further teaching activities, including at the University of Applied Sciences for Art and Design in Hamburg and the Lübeck University of Music , he was initially an artistic teacher since 1994 and, since 2003, as visiting professor, head of the directing course at the “Hanns Eisler” University of Music in Berlin. For several semesters he has also given scenic lessons at the Detmold Music Academy and staged productions at the opera school there. In the summer semester 2013 he was appointed full-time professor for directing music theater at the HfM "Hanns Eisler" Berlin.

As head of department A - singing, music theater / directing - and as head of the directing course at the HfM "Hanns Eisler" Berlin, Claus Unzen is particularly committed to practical support and goal-oriented training in cooperation with international opera houses. So he has u. a. the series of "KO projects" with the Komische Oper Berlin and HAU , the series of "Wagner operas for children" with the Bayreuth Festival , internships and student productions at the workshop stage with the State Opera in the Schillertheater and the world premiere event "New Scenes “ Initiated, supervised and carried out in the joinery with the Deutsche Oper Berlin . Workshops on selected topics in the field of directing and staging, which he conducts at outstanding institutes, complement his extensive artistic and educational work.

Web links

• Claus Unzen at the "Hanns Eisler" University of Music in Berlin