Tatjana Gürbaca (born 1973) is a German opera director of Turkish and Slovenian descent. Based at the Staatstheater Mainz from 2011 to 2014, she directed operas internationally, including contemporary operas and world premieres.[1]

Tatjana Gürbaca
Born1973 (age 50–51)
Berlin, Germany
EducationHochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler
OccupationOpera director
OrganizationsStaatstheater Mainz
AwardsInternational Opera Award

Life and career

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Gürbaca was born in Berlin in 1973 to a Turkish father and an Italian mother. Her father who had studied classical Turkish singing in Turkey had left the country in the 1960s for political reasons. Her mother belonged to the Slovenian minority in Italy. She loved music by Puccini and liked story-telling. The girl was trained in ballet, piano, cello and double bass. She attended a gymnasium with music focused on music and the arts. She played in orchestras, jazzbands, a klezmer group and a tango orchestra. Her music teacher brought her to the Deutsche Oper Berlin as an extra. She received German citizenship at age 17.[1]

Gürbaca first studied art history, literature and theatre science at the Free University of Berlin without completing it. From 1993 she studied stage direction at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin.[1][2] She studied further in master courses by Ruth Berghaus and Peter Konwitschny, among others.[3][4][5] She worked as assistant director at the Graz Opera from 1998 to 2001.[6]

Gürbaca was winner of the Ring Award [de] competition in 2000; subsequently she directed Puccini's Turandot at the Graz Opera.[7] From 2011 to 2014, she was the general manager of the opera department of the Staatstheater Mainz.[2][8][7] She was named "Stage director of the year" in 2013 by the critics of the trade magazine Opernwelt.[9] Her production of Wagner's Parsifal at the Vlaamse Opera received the International Opera Award in the category "Best opera production" in 2014.[3][2][10] She staged productions at Berlin State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Wiener Volksoper, Oper Graz, Oper Leipzig, Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Theater Bremen, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Novosibirsk Opera, Lucerne Festival, among others.

In 2024 Gürbaca directed Halévy's La Juive at the Oper Frankfurt, set in medieval times but she exposed antisemitism as actuality. The choir, prepared by Tilman Michael, played a decisive role as both Jewish congregation and Christian crowd in dynamic movement.[11]

Works

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Source:[12]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tatjana Gürbaca". Munzinger Biographie (in German). Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Tatjana Gürbaca · MusikTheaterRegie". Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (in German). Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Tatjana Gürbaca". Deutsche Oper am Rhein (in German). Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Ensemble & Gäste". Wiener Staatsoper (in German). Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Tatjana Gürbaca, Regie". werktreue (in German). 10 September 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Jury › Ring Award". www.ringaward.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Ring Award". Ring Award (in German). 8 May 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  8. ^ Mohr, Christoph (2020). "Oper Köln: Opernpremieren gehen online". report-K (in German). Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  9. ^ Merschmeier, Michael; Theaterverlag, Der (15 August 2019). ""Theater ist eine Droge"". Der Theaterverlag (in German). Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b "2014". Opera Awards. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  11. ^ Brachmann, Jan (18 June 2024). "Die Stadt als Meute". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Tatjana Gürbaca, Stage director". Operabase. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  13. ^ Pistrick, Eckehard (30 May 2006). "Oper Leipzig: Oper Leipzig: Einsamer Traumtänzer in eiskalter Mondlandschaft". Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Zwischen Absurdität und Abgründigkeit: Mit "Le Grand Macabre" startet die neue Bremer Opern-Saison". Pressestelle des Senats (in German). Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  15. ^ "OPER: Autohupe begleitet Untergang". NWZonline (in German). 24 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Der neureiche Holländer floppt". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 10 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Mazeppa". Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (in Dutch). 7 February 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Leipzig: Carmen / Online Musik Magazin". Online Musik Magazin (in German). 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Deutsche Oper am Rhein: "Salome" von Richard Strauss". Theaterkompass – Für Theaterbesucher und Theatermacher (in German). 12 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Eugene Onegin". Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (in Dutch). 23 March 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Sciarrinos "Macbeth" in Mainz". Vereinigung deutscher Opern- und Tanzensembles e.V. (in German). 1 June 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Vor allem musikalisch überzeugt die Mainzer Neuinszenierung von Giuseppe Verdis "Un ballo in maschera"". op-online.de (in German). 18 January 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Parsifal". Opera Ballet Vlaanderen – Discover our programme. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  24. ^ "MAINZ/ Staatstheater: MACBETH. Wiederaufnahme". Online Merker (in German). 24 October 2024. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Aida". Oper (in German). Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  26. ^ Tollåli, Aksel (28 April 2015). "A desert full of people: Gürbaca's La traviata". Bachtrack (in German). Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna". Die Deutsche Bühne (in German). 15 February 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Antwerpen: Der fliegende Holländer / Online Musik Magazin". Online Musik Magazin (in German). 3 November 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  29. ^ "05.12.2016 Lohengrin am Aalto Theater Essen". richard-wagner.org (in German). Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  30. ^ "Freischütz Essen Tatjana Gürbaca". Revierpassagen (in German). 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  31. ^ Müller, Regine (5 September 2021). "Opernpremiere in Köln: „Die tote Stadt": Albträume à la Sigmund Freud". RP ONLINE (in German). Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Ein "Niemand" auf der Suche nach sich selbst: "Ulisse" von Luigi Dallapiccola in Frankfurt". nmz – neue musikzeitung (in German). 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Kritik: Louise Bertin: Fausto". Die Deutsche Bühne (in German). 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Sänger retten Szene – Tatjana Gürbaça inszeniert Halévys "La Juive" an der Oper Frankfurt". nmz – neue musikzeitung (in German). 17 June 2024. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.