PROF. DR. h.c. mult. EDITH WIENS

Resident Professor for All Repertoire

After her long and illustrous career, Edith Wiens enjoys mentoring young singers. Opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera New York, Covent Garden London, Frankfurt, Zurich and Munich Opera have engaged her students, who are equally at home in the concert world. She is a faculty member of the Juilliard School in New York, and is an affiliated teacher at the Lindemann Program at the Metropolitan Opera. She also gives masterclasses regularly at the Young Ensembles of the opera houses in Oslo, Zurich, Montreal, Frankfurt and Munich, and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College in London. Edith Wiens is the artistic director of the International Meistersinger Akademie, and during the entire residency, she will offer intensive training in interpretation, vocal technique and artistic development.

KS BRIGITTE FASSBAENDER

Patron of IMA, Guest Professor for German and Italian Opera

Legendary mezzosoprano Brigitte Fassbaender debuted at the age of 21 at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, which led to an international career spanning four decades in all areas of classical music. Showered with awards and honors worldwide, Ms. Fassbaender has always had a big heart for the next generation of singers. She is an important mentor known for supporting the careers of young singers. After retiring from the singing stage, she has now become a much sought-after stage director and has also acted as General Director of the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck and the Artistic Director of the Richard Strauss Festival in Garmish-Partenkirchen. We are proud that Ms. Fassbaender is IMA's patron.

THOMAS LAUSMANN

Opera Master Class

Thomas Lausmann is convinced that good music doesn't just happen—but you can at least clear the obstacles from its path. In March 2026, he was appointed Director of Music Administration and Head of Music Staff at the Vienna State Opera. This marks a return: he previously worked at the house from 2010 to 2019, most recently as Head of Music Staff. In the intervening years, he served as Director of Music Administration at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He views his work not merely as administration, but as the art of translation: between conductors and singers, between the score and the stage. Administration, he believes, is not the opposite of artistic work, but its foundation—sometimes invisible, but hopefully audible. Since 2008, he has regularly worked as a Musical Assistant at the Bayreuth Festival, and since 2013, he has performed as a pianist in concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic. Other milestones in his career include the Salzburg Festival, the Komische Oper Berlin, and the Hamburg State Opera. Thomas Lausmann enjoys spending time with his family, is a passionate cook, and actually would have preferred to become a pilot.

PÅL MOE

Guest Professor for Career Development

Pål Christian Moe was born in Oslo. After literature studies in London he decided to work in theatre, and started as stage manager at the Oslo Opera. Later he worked as vocal producer at Deutsche Grammophon, and then at the Paris Opera as director of artistic administration. In recent years he has specialized in free-lance casting, currently working for the Prague Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

MATTHEW HORNER

Guest Professor for Career Development

Matthew Horner is one of the most highly respected managers today. He is Vice President and Artist Manager at IMG Artists New York. Matthew Horner's many years of representing top artists make him ideally suited to advise our young artists, both in repertoire choices and in career development.

CRAIG TERRY

Guest Professor for American Song

Born in Tullahoma, Tennessee (USA), Craig Terry is a sought-after piano partner of many renowned singers, e.g. Stephanie Blythe, Christine Brewer, Nicole Cabell, Joseph Kaiser, Kate Lindsey, Danielle De Niese, Susanna Phillips and Joyce DiDonato. He tours the continents at the side of his stars. Currently Mr. Terry serves as Music Director of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago after having spent eleven seasons at Lyric as Assistant Conductor. He has made his young ensemble one of the leading ensembles in the USA. As a gifted improviser on the piano, we are particularly happy that he leads and plays for the cabaret concert himself.

KRYSTIAN LADA

Guest Professor

Polish-Belgian stage director Krystian Lada has established himself as one of the major artists of his generation. He is the first recipient of the "Mortier Next Generation Award" for outstanding talent in the music theatre field and he was a finalist and prizewinner in the 2021 Ring Award - international competition for opera stage directors. His 2023 production of “Lili Elbe” by Tobias Picker for Theater St. Gallen won the prestigious award for the best world premiere of the season 2023-24 by the Oper! Magazine. Krystian conceived and directed "Nostalgia e Rivoluzione," a two-night pastiche based on early Verdi operas for La Monnaie in Brussels, and "The Mysteries of Desire," a pastiche in collaboration with the World Pride Festival for the Royal Danish Opera. His immersive production of "Abendzauber" for the 2024 Ruhrtriennale combined music by Anton Bruckner and Björk. His large-scale production "D'ARC," combining opera, theater, and dance, was presented by the Warsaw Uprising Museum in collaboration with the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera. Krystian is Director of Artistic Programme of the Ruhrtriennale 2024–26, an interdisciplinary festival held in the industrial sites of the Ruhr Metropolis. Between 2013–17, he served as Director of Dramaturgy, Communication and Empowerment, as well as Artistic Advisor, at the Brussels royal opera house La Monnaie. Since May 2017, he has been General and Artistic Director of The Airport Society/House of Lada, a Belgian cooperative of opera artists and social change activists.

Tobias Truniger

Tobias Truniger is the director of the Young Ensemble of the Munich State Opera, which he has become one of the leading ensembles of its kind under his leadership. His mastery of style and language makes him indispensable, not only for IMA -- it also makes him a beloved coach of many professionals. Tobias Truniger has played recitals with Edith Wiens and Angelika Kirchschlager, and has toured the US with Stefan Loges, the winner of the Young Concert Artists Song Competition.

Marcelo Amaral

All German repertoire

Brazilian pianist Marcelo Amaral, praised by The New York Times as an “outstanding partner,” studied in Brazil, the United States, and in Munich with Helmut Deutsch. He received important artistic guidance from Elly Ameling, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and others. Quickly establishing himself as a sought-after song pianist in Europe, he has collaborated with artists such as Olaf Bär, Juliane Banse, and Christoph Prégardien. Numerous awards and recordings document his work. He appears regularly at renowned festivals and venues, including the Schubertiade and London’s Wigmore Hall. Since 2014, he has served as Professor of Song Interpretation at the Nuremberg University of Music.

Jamie Andrews

Jamie Andrews is a British pianist, conductor and organist who is currently a young artist at Mascarade Opera in Florence. Prior to this, he was a Répétiteur Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music and the trainee répétiteur at the English National Opera. Jamie also attended the 2024 Solti-Peretti course for répétiteurs, studying with Jonathan Papp, Rodrigo de Vera, Anthony Legge and Richard Bonynge. He has worked as a répétiteur for Garsington Opera and, most recently, the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. As an organist, Jamie was the Organ Scholar at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, from 2023–4 and at New College, Oxford, graduating with first-class honours in music. In September, Jamie is moving to Munich to join the studio for 2026/27 at the Bayerische Staatsoper.

Florent Mourier

Based in London, Florent is in demand as both a recital pianist and vocal coach. He is currently a member of the music staff of the Jette Parker Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the National Opera Studio, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and is a visiting coach at the Mascarade Opera Foundation in Florence. Florent is thrilled to be joining the Vocal Faculty of the Royal College of Music from September 2026. Alongside his work as an educator, Florent maintains an active performing career, collaborating regularly with leading singers and emerging artists in both recital and operatic repertoire. Recent highlights include the release of Debussy’s Quatre chansons de jeunesse with Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne, his Canadian recital debut with her in Montreal, and a European recital tour with mezzo-soprano Kseniia Nikolaieva. He has also appeared in recital for Opera Rara’s Salon Series and the National Opera Studio Alumni Series. Florent has been the official pianist for both the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition in Dublin and the Elizabeth Connell Prize in London. He is also a staff pianist and coach at Edith Wiens’s Internationale Meistersinger Akademie in Germany. His work as music staff has included engagements with the Royal Opera House, Buxton International Festival, and Opera Holland Park. A former ENOA Young Artist, Britten–Pears Young Artist, laureate of Fondation Royaumont, and member of the Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Florent studied solo and collaborative piano at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and the National Opera Studio. Florent holds dual French and British citizenship. (www.florentmourier.com)

Michael Banwarth

Pianist and vocal coach Michael Banwarth joins the music staff of Houston Grand Opera for the 2026-2027 season. He also returns for guest appointments at Lyric Opera of Chicago where he recently completed three years as the ensemble pianist for the Ryan Opera Center. During his tenure with the program he served as Assistant Conductor for productions of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Blue (Tesori) and Champion (Blanchard). With a particular passion for art song and recital repertoire, Michael has appeared in the Carnegie Hall Citywide series, The Florentine Opera’s Al Fresco series, and Classical Music Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts. This is his second summer as a member of the music staff of the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie. Also an avid performer of crossover repertoire, musical theatre, and American standards, his arrangements have been heard at venues including the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park, and on WFMT 98.7FM.

Michael Latus

It is a great pleasure for us that Michael Latus, make-up artist at Armani, is coming to us. During his time with Yves Saint Laurent, he was awarded National Make-up Artist of the Year (2014). His program includes a general masterclass on how make-up can affect the impression onstage, as well as working with each singer individually. Michael has worked for television and casting shows in Germany and France, as well as for some of the major German publications. We are privileged to have him share his world-class expertise with our singers every year.