The Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Academy is a continuation of a long tradition of training within the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden: The Orchestra School OSK was founded in 1923 as an association to train young musicians specifically for the orchestra. The artistic direction was in the hands of General Music Director Fritz Busch, later Karl Böhm. Over the next ten years, the number of students increased from 50 to 200, and the orchestra school had its own instrument collection and library. In 1937, the OSK was forced to submit to the administration of the city of Dresden and to merge with the Krantzsche Conservatory to form the Conservatory of the City of Dresden, which in turn was renamed after the end of World War II. The institution has developed from the State Academy for Music and Theater during World War I to the present-day Carl Maria von Weber Dresden University of Music.
In 2008, the orchestra school was re-founded as an academy and eventually renamed the Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Academy in 2011. The orchestra's commitment to nurturing young talent is clearly visible: former members of the Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Academy play at numerous desks of the Staatskapelle as well as in other significant European orchestras and carry on the very special Dresden orchestra and music tradition.
The training content of the Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Academy includes:
- Two-year practical training with 5 to 15 monthly services
- Integration into the regular performance schedule of the Semperoper Dresden, both in the concert series in the form of symphony concerts, performance and chamber evenings, as well as in the opera and ballet repertoire.
- Learning the special orchestra sound and the specific playing style of the Saxon State Orchestra
- Playing music under the direction of renowned conductors such as Daniele Gatti, Herbert Blomstedt, and Marie Jacquot
- Participation in two chamber music concerts as part of the Academy concerts
- Weekly lessons with a personal mentor
- Probespieltraining
- Masterclasses with renowned soloists such as Frank Peter Zimmermann and Sol Gabetta
- Workshops: Mental coaching, communication, legal matters
- Bodywork: Breathing therapy (free trial lessons)
- Cooperation projects with the Education Department of the Semperoper Active
- Individual support from the academy board
Board of Trustees
The Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Academy's board of trustees is comprised of high-profile artists who are committed to the musical excellence of tomorrow. The current curators Camilla Nylund, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Petr Popelka, Daniele Gatti, Christa Mayer, and Tom Pauls support the work of the Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Academy with the goal of gradually anchoring the unique orchestra school in the region and establishing it beyond national borders.
