The city we live and work in is predestined like no other for a New Musical Theater institution with the following focus: man and his voice in a theatrical space. Since 1945, Stuttgart has demonstrated an extraordinary variety of developments regarding New Music with a vocal focus. To name but a few, countless outstanding new choir pieces have been written by famous composers just for the SWR Vokalensemble. Then there is the Schola Cantorum under the guiding hand of Clytus Gottwald that has written history. Or Exvoco, that throughout its history has given vast space to experiments. The Neuen Vocalsolisten who – as a chamber music ensemble with new vocal music – are listened to all over the world. The Staatsoper Stuttgart constantly included pieces and premieres by the New Musical Theater into their repertoire. Just like the Junge Oper Stuttgart. It is also worth mentioning, the Festival Eclat – an international meeting point every year with numerous premiers of contemporary music and modern musical theater.

We have gone to great lengths to ensure that we have created an environment in which both students and lecturers can participate in the creative process together.

Our facilities and our unique combination of subjects which range from: New Vocal Music, singing, Studio for Spoken Art, acting, opera school, figure theater, instrumental classes, the Studio for New Music, the Electronic Studio or the Studio for Ancient Music all contribute to a flat organizational structure that favors creativity and promote participation at all levels. Such an interactive development of music, theater and space is vibrant, exciting and full of energy and always good for a surprise.  

Besides the intense cooperation with colleagues across faculties, the studio team of Prof. Angelika Luz, Bernd Schmitt and Frank Wörner devises project ideas, drafts concepts and develops details. Prof. Angelika Luz and Frank Wörner manage the New Music/ singing Master’s programs and the New Music/ singing concert exams. If you are a student of singing from either an undergraduate or postgraduate program you can join the projects as well. Our range is completed by seminars on vocal music of the 20^th Century (Frank Wörner) and opera knowledge for composers (Bernd Schmitt).

On the one hand, our aim is to train performers who can face the complex challenges of modern musical theater:

• Singers, who possess modern vocal and performance techniques.

• Instrumentalists who can speak and perform as well.

• Speakers and actors who are capable of integrating into complex musical structures.

On the other hand, we want to offer students of composition the opportunity to examine musical theater intensely. They can experience the diversity of vocal possibilities in a direct exchange with lecturers and students.

New impulses and connections important to the student’s professional life can start with artistic encounters in cooperation with other universities, with professional ensembles or regional and national culture institutions.

Another goal of the Studio for Vocal Art and New Musical Theater is to further research and extend the possibilities of New Musical Theater.