The Komische Oper Company
In 1947, Walter Felsenstein founded and led the resident opera company, the Komische Oper, until his death in 1975. Götz Friedrich was an assistant to Felsenstein at the company. Joachim Herz became general director after Felsenstein's death and served until 1981. Subsequently, Harry Kupfer directed the company for 21 seasons, until 2002. The company specializes in German language productions of opera, operetta and musicals. In 2007 the company won, jointly with Oper Bremen, the "Opera house of the year" award by the Geman magazine Opernwelt. Since 2002, the company's chief director and Intendant has been Andreas Homoki. He is scheduled to step down from those posts on 31 July 2012. In June 2008, the company announced the appointment of Barrie Kosky to succeed Homoki as its next Intendant, as of the 2012/2013 season. Since 2005, the company's managing director has been Susanne Moser.
From 1966 to 2004 the theatre was also home to a resident ballet company – first as "Tanztheater der Komischen Oper", and then from 1999 as "BerlinBallett – Komische Oper". In 2004, due to budgetary problems, the separate ballet companies of Berlin's three opera houses were merged into a single company called the Staatsballett Berlin.
Past General Music Directors (GMD) of the company have included Rolf Reuter, Yakov Kreizberg, Kirill Petrenko, and Carl St.Clair. Patrick Lange became GMD of the Komische Oper Berlin as of the 2010/2011 season.
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Famous quotes containing the word company:
“The old idea that the joke was not good enough for the company has been superseded by the new aristocratic idea that the company was not worthy of the joke. They have introduced an almost insane individualism into that one form of intercourse which is specially and uproariously communal. They have made even levities into secrets. They have made laughter lonelier than tears.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)