Heiko Reissig

Heiko Christian Reissig (born February 19, 1966 in Wittenberge ) is a German singer ( tenor ) specializing in operetta, as well as an actor , director , author , producer , teacher and artistic director .

Life

Heiko Reissig

Reissig first appeared on the theater stage at the age of eight. After school, high school and an apprenticeship as a printer / typesetter, he completed his military service. Subsequently, as the youngest cultural director in the GDR at the time, he was appointed deputy director of the Kreiskulturhaus Perleberg / Kreiskulturkabinett and carried out a two-year theater internship at the new Friedrichstadtpalast in Berlin under the direction of Reinhold Stövesand. He then studied classical singing (tenor), vocal pedagogy, directing and acting at the "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" University of Music and Theater in Leipzig , at the "Hanns Eisler" University of Music in Berlin and the Munich University of Music and Theater and completed his artistic career Study with three diplomas. His first singing professors were Wolfgang Büttner, Renate Krahmer and Scot Weir in Berlin . He was a student of Nicolai Gedda , Adalbert Kraus , Renate Holm and August Everding (director). He completed masterclasses in New York with Marta Eggerth (singing / specialization: operetta), in Berlin with Peter Schreier (interpretation), in Vienna with Walter Berry (singing), in Munich ("Münch'ner Singschul") with Josef Metternich , Hans Hotter and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (vocals), in Berlin with Harry Kupfer and Ruth Berghaus (directors), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (vocals) and at the International Film Academy Cologne with Maximilian Schell (drama).

His mentors for the university diploma thesis were the Berlin theater directors Boleslaw Barlog and Hans Pischner and the Bavarian state director August Everding . Topic of the work: History and artistic performance practice of the Berlin State Opera as the Prussian State Theater from 1933 to 1945 . From 1990 until his death in 1999 he was personal assistant to General Director Boleslaw Barlog in Berlin. While still a student he was managing director and artistic director of the "German Concert Office" in Berlin from 1990 to 2000 and during this time he organized and directed almost 500 concerts, guest performances, tours and events.

Stage engagements and guest performances have taken him to the Komische Oper Berlin , Oper Leipzig , Theater Bonn , Cologne Philharmonic , Prinzregententheater , Volksoper Vienna , Seefestspiele Mörbisch , Operetta Theater Budapest , Philharmonie Berlin , Konzerthaus Berlin , Philharmonie Cologne , Gasteig Munich, various city and state theaters in Germany and Austria and undertook international guest performances and concert tours (including Australia, Italy, Japan, China, Mexico, Africa, USA, Danube countries) and participated in CD recordings (also with his own compositions) as well as film and television productions as a singer and actor . He became known to a wide audience in 1995 through his first television appearance on Thomas Gottschalk's program Late Night Show . He is the founder and vocal soloist of the musical ensemble Berliner Grammophoniker and the vocal soloist ensembles “Terra Romanza” and “The 3 Tenors of the Operetta”.

Reissig is committed to promoting young artists in the context of the maintenance and dissemination of the operetta art genre, in particular the compositional legacy of Paul Lincke , Emmerich Kálmán , Ralph Benatzky , Friedrich Schröder , Franz Lehár , Werner Richard Heymann and Franz Grothe . On Reissig's initiative, the bronze bust of composer Paul Lincke (1866–1946) was created in front of the Kultur- und Festspielhaus Wittenberge by sculptor Reinhard Jakob and inaugurated on the then renamed Paul-Lincke-Platz.

In addition to his artistic work, he occasionally works as a singing teacher for singers and actors (classical lessons in singing, breathing and speaking techniques). From 2005 to 2010 he was a lecturer for singing / classical operetta at the Scala Academy for Singing & Entertainment in Berlin (Admiralspalast).

Reissig promotes and initiates the bilateral cultural exchange with the Republic of Austria. From 1995 to 2007 he was President of the International Society for the Promotion of Young Stage Artists - BühnenReif e. V. (ISSA). From 1998 to 2008 founding director, artistic director and director of the Elblandfestspiele Wittenberge , the international festival of operettas and cheerful stage arts in the state of Brandenburg. From 2002 to 2007 he also worked as a jury leader at the International Singing Competition for Operetta " Jan Kiepura - Paul Lincke ".

In 2008 the artist was elected President of the European Cultural Workshop Berlin-Vienna (EKW) and since then has headed the internationally active organization for the promotion of theater, art and music. In 2012 the artist was awarded the honorary title of chamber singer .

At the beginning of 2010 Reissig was appointed artistic director and artistic director of the international "Festival of the Cheerful Muse", an EU cooperation between Germany , Austria , Slovakia , Romania and Hungary in the field of classical operetta. From 2009 to 2012 he completed an additional academic degree in theater and musicology at the Berlin University of the Arts and in history / political science at the Technical University of Berlin (ZfAF).

In 2009, together with Florian Fries, he set song texts for the play "Summer 14" to music for the writer Rolf Hochhuth. Reissig is, among other things, the author of the cheerful, contemplative stage play A friend, a good friend! , a scenic-musical chamber play based on the biography of the legendary actor Heinz Rühmann .

In 2014 Reissig celebrated his 40th stage anniversary in the culture and festival hall of his hometown and signed the “Golden Book” of the city of Wittenberge.

In 2018, together with HRH Sybille Princess of Prussia, he launched the “Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Prince of Prussia Prize”, which the European Cultural Workshop (EKW) awards to deserving artists for their life's work on the recommendation of the Board of Trustees.

honors and awards

• 1995 Finalist of the International Singing Competition Italy “Toti dal Monte” (Treviso)
• 1996 Scholarship from the Gloria Fürstin von Thurn und Taxis (Foundation)
• 1997 Richard Wagner Scholarship Bayreuth
• 2007 Golden Elf and plaque of honor from the Elbland Festival
• 2008 Medal of Merit by the city of Wittenberge for his achievements in setting up the Elbland Festival in the state of Brandenburg
• 2012 Awarded the honorary title of chamber singer
• 2016 International Prof. Heinz Neubrand - Music Prize Vienna 2016 (Austria)
• 2016 entry in the “Golden Book” of the city of Wittenberge

Discography

• Heiko Reissig - My song for you (operetta, film hit, canzone, original compositions / German Film Orchestra Babelsberg / GMD Manfred Rosenberg)
• Rendezvous of dreams (Franz Grothe - film hits with Renate Holm, Heiko Reissig, René Kollo, Stephanie de Kowa, Anke Lautenbach)
• Christmas at home - Heiko Reissig sings famous German Christmas carols (German Christmas)
• Carneval of Melodies (the big gala of operetta stars / double CD, vocal soloists with the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg)
• Heartbreaker (film hits and operettas with the Berlin gramophonists, Friedrich Schoenfelder, Heiko Reissig, Hagen Matzeit, Susanne Serfling)
• Moonlight dreams (artists and new compositions of the Elbland Festival)
• Franz Grothe - Stars sing his greatest successes (UFA film hits with soloists and German Film Orchestra Babelsberg / GMD Manfred Rosenberg)
• ... and now you can hear Franz Grothe - musical rarities for the 100th (Grothe songs and evergreens with Johannes Heesters, Carmen Fuggis, Heiko Reissig)
• Heiko Reissig - Wolgalied (A romantic recital of the operetta with Heiko Reissig)
• Operetta Séparée (famous operetta duets with Caroline Bungeroth, Heiko Reissig, Valerie Wildemann / piano)
• Request concert of favorite melodies - Best off! Heiko Reissig (tenor) with Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg / GMD Manfred Rosenberg
• Heiko Reissig - Melody of Love - The big anniversary album (double CD) - opera, operetta, film hit, canzone, song, original compositions
• I know a song about happiness! - The musical-literary pharmacy, presented by Heiko Reissig (tenor) and Karina Willam (speaker)
• Friends, life is worth living! - The 3 tenors of the operetta - The great concert gala (Harrie van der Plas, Heiko Reissig, Christoph Schröter)
• Heiko Reissig - Close your eyes and dream - (Popular melodies from operettas and sound films in new arrangements by Jihua Sun / South Korea)

Web links

• Heiko Reissig's website
• Page about Heiko Reissig on the homepage of the European Cultural Workshop
• European Culture Workshop (EKW) www.europaeische-kulturwerkstatt.de
• Works by and about Heiko Reissig in the catalog of the German National Library