Karel Drgáč

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karel Drgáč (born September 11, 1954 in Rokycany , Czechoslovakia ) is an Austrian opera director of Czech origin. Among other things, he was director of the Prague State Opera and founder and long-time director (1990–2013) of the Opern Air Festival in Gars am Kamp , Lower Austria.

Career

After completing his master's degree at the University of Ostrava , Karel Drgáč moved to Austria in 1979, where he completed further studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna . As assistant director to Jean-Pierre Ponnelle ( Salzburg Festival , Vienna State Opera , Metropolitan Opera New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago , Zurich Opera House ), Otto Schenk (Vienna State Opera) and Frank Corsaro ( Royal Opera House Covent Garden) he gained experience in musical theaters. From 1984 he was assistant director and evening director at the Graz Opera House . At the same time, he continued to devote himself to teaching and was appointed as a lecturer in opera directing at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam (Music University). In 1990 he was appointed opera director of the Smetana Theater in Prague, from which the Prague State Opera was created by decree in 1992 in the building of the New German Theater.

During his five-year era, 25 new productions and concerts were created. Referring to the new democratic structures of that time, Drgáč also opened the house to the organization of balls and events under the auspices of Peter Ustinov , Edita Gruberová , the UN . Through additional tours abroad, he was able to build a new image for the Prague State Opera worldwide. At the same time, a cooperation with the City of Vienna took place during this time. So was z. B. the operetta Die Fledermaus produced jointly. This joint production was recorded and broadcast several times by the German private television broadcaster Sat.1 . The opera Die Verlobung im Traum was produced by Hans Krása together with the Mannheim National Theater . The establishment of the branch of the Prague Wagner Association in 1991 also dates back to the Drgáč era at the Prague State Opera.

At the same time, Drgáč founded the Opern Air Festival in Gars am Kamp, Lower Austria, in 1990, which under his artistic and commercial direction developed into an international opera festival. During his 25-year era, Drgáč was able to bring singers Mara Zampieri , Viktória Vizin , Antigone Papoulkas , Melba Ramos , Janez Lotrič , Peter Dvorský , Wolfgang Bankl and Martin Winkler to Gars. From 2005 Drgáč was director of the four-branch Reduta Theater in Brno, later also director of the Janáček Opera of the National Theater in Brno . Karel Drgáč has worked as a director in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Serbia, India, Monte Carlo and the USA. In 2014 he was a member of the jury at the Miskolc Opera Festival and the singing competition in Sibiu (in collaboration with the Sibiu Philharmonic) and was the artistic director of a master's course in collaboration with the University of Oradea.

Awards

Directorial work

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Drgáč, Karel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian opera director
DATE OF BIRTH September 11, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Rokycany , Czechoslovakia