Stage Direction

Isabel Ostermann

Isabel Ostermann studied opera directing at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin and was a guest student and assistant director for Christoph Marthaler, Ruth Berghaus, Harry Kupfer, Andreas Homoki, Peter Konwitschny, Christoph Schlingensief and Achim Freyer, among others at the festivals in Salzburg and Bayreuth. From 2006 to 2017, she worked at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin as personal assistant to the directors Peter Mussbach and Jürgen Flimm and as artistic production manager. During this time, she staged works by Friedrich Goldmann, Oscar Strasnoy, Leoš Janáček, Francis Poulenc, John Cage and Lucia Ronchetti (»Rivale«, a commissioned work for the reopening of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden) at the Schiller Theater as head of the workshop for contemporary music.

From 2017 to 2024, Isabel Ostermann was opera director and deputy artistic director at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, where she staged John Cageʼs »Europeras 1 & 2«, the chamber operas »Dichterliebe recomposed« by Christian Jost, »Rivale«, »Zenobia« and »La Voix humaine« / »Tagebuch eines Verschollenen« alongside »Eugen Onegin«, Sidney Corbettʼs »Das große Heft«, Toshio Hosokawaʼs »Hanjo« (as a digital film project) as well as »Der fliegende Holländer«, »Das Rheingold«, »Götterdämmerung« (interdisciplinary) and »Salome«.

She staged »Un ballo in maschera« at the Halle Opera House, »Bluebeardʼs Castle« and »Eugene Onegin« at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, »The Rape of Lucretia« for the reopening of the Schlosstheater Potsdam, Jostʼs »Dichterliebe« at the Theaterakademie in Munich, and the world premiere of Lucia Ronchettiʼs »Searching for Zenobia« for the opening of the Munich Biennale 2024. Further directing work included »Madama Butterfly« at the Landestheater Linz and »Jolanta« at the Theater Hagen.

Isabel Ostermann received the scholarship (»Akademie Musiktheater heute«) and the sponsorship award from the Deutsche Bank Foundation, the culture prize from the »Münchner Merkur« as »Young Artist of the Year« and was honoured by the »Deutsche Bühne« for her Braunschweig programme (»Heads of the Season«). She regularly collaborates as a director and lecturer with the Berliner Operngruppe, the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, the Musikfestival Gut Immling, the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding and the International Opera Studio of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, among others. Isabel Ostermann is also a jury member for various singing and directing competitions and a member of the German Academy of Performing Arts.