Keren Kagarlitsky
When were you first enchanted by (musical) theatre in your life? And what was it that enchanted you?
When I was 13 years old, I went to the opera for the first time with my parents. We saw Carmen and I was overwhelmed by the music, the plot (even though I didn't really understand what was happening on stage), the quality and power of the voices, and especially the size and design of the stage. Everything felt so big and real at the same time. It was an unforgettable experience.
Why do people sing and why don't they speak?
Because singing is just so much fun.
What role can/should musical theatre play in today's society?
In a place like the theatre, where there are no boundaries, no rules, no false politeness and no emergency brakes, the true face of society is revealed. The theatre is the largest, most beautiful, most radiant and sometimes also the most merciless mirror of our society. There we can find every aspect that makes up our lives – love, hate, political issues, gender conflicts and even the deepest and most intimate topics such as self-love, insecurity, depression and loneliness. The main purpose of theatre is to connect people and make them think about their lives; not just about the story they have just seen – the story on stage is always real in some respects.
***
Born in
Israel
Education
Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Universität der Künste Berlin
Important Engagements
Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Bellini in Catania, BBC Philharmonic, Bretagne Symphony Orchestra (France), Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Jerusalem, Israel Chamber Orchestra and Raanana Symphonette Orchestra
Debut and important works at Volksoper Wien
since 2022/23: Hausdirigentin at Volksoper Wien,
since January 1, 2024: Conductor in Residence at Volksoper Wien
Debut: Die Zauberflöt
Further important works: Jolanthe und der Nussknacker, The Sound of Music, Der Zauberer von Oz, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Lass uns die Welt vergessen – Volksoper 1938
For Lass uns die Welt vergessen – Volksoper 1938, a world premiere marking the 125th anniversary of the Volksoper, Keren Kagarlitsky reconstructed the score of Gruß und Kuss aus der Wachau by Jara Beneš from the little material that survives, adding music by Jewish composers such as Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schönberg and Viktor Ullmann, and created additional compositions. In this way, the score tells of carefree joie de vivre as well as melancholy and grief, of death as well as survival.
Significant awards and honours
2015: Scholarship Excellence Award
2018: Scholarship from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation
* Use of the photograph (© Chaim Kimchi) solely for the purpose of current reporting on the Vienna Volksoper.
