Misha Aster is a Canadian producer, director, writer and educator specialising in opera and classical music.
Biography
Born in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
in 1978, Aster studied violin at the
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...
in Toronto, and history, politics, dramaturgy and musicology at
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
, the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
Moscow Art Theatre School
Moscow Art Theatre School is the studio school of the Moscow Art Theatre. It is a state educational institution that has existed since 1943. The initiator of the studio school was Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.Free University and at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, where he also held a teaching fellowship. He has taught opera and drama at the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...
and Concordia University (Canada) and directed numerous theatre and opera productions on both sides of the Atlantic, including ''Carmen'' and ''Wozzeck'' in Canada, ''Cosi fan tutte'' (Czech Republic), ''Falstaff'' (Netherlands), ''Madama Butterfly'' (Austria) and Krenek's ''Dark Waters'' at the Konzerthaus in Berlin.
From 2004–06 Aster served as Staff Director at th Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet.
Since 2004, the D ...
, and at important festivals in Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands, collaborating with directors such as
Robert Carsen Robert Carsen O.C. (born 23 June 1954) is a Canadian opera director. He was born in Toronto and is the son of philanthropist Walter Carsen.
Early steps towards directing
From an early age "I became obsessed with the theatre" Carsen states and he ...
,
Tim Albery
Tim Bronson Reginald Albery (born 20 May 1952) is an English stage director, best known for his productions of opera.
Life and career
Albery was born in Harpenden, the son of the impresario Donald Albery and grandson of the producer Sir Bronso ...
,
Brigitte Fassbaender
Brigitte Fassbaender (; born 3 July 1939), is a German mezzo-soprano opera singer and a stage director. From 1999 to 2012 she was intendant (managing director) of the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck, Austria. She holds the title Kammersäng ...
, François Rochaix and
Götz Friedrich
Götz Friedrich (4 August 1930 in Naumburg, Germany – 12 December 2000 in Berlin, Germany) was a German opera and theatre director.
He was a student and assistant of Walter Felsenstein at the Komische Oper Berlin in (East) Berlin, where he w ...
and conductors
Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery OBE (born 1943, in Belfast) is a British conductor.
The only child of Lily and Tom Montgomery, his upbringing was in Wandsworth Parade and he attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. His musical studies were at the ...
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
. Together with pianist, Michael Abramovich, he directed Ensemble Alkan and produced the concert series 'Im buntesten Chaos – das Jüdische in der Musik' at Berlin's Jewish Museum. He has worked as a dramaturg at th American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as project manager with the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
History
The Berlin Philharmonic was f ...
, at the
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
Aster's book, ''The Reich's Orchestra: the Berlin Philharmonic 1933–45'' was published by Siedler Verlag/Random House, Germany in 2007 and has since been translated into six languages. A history of Berlin's Staatsoper Unter den Linden 1918–1991, including a foreword by Daniel Barenboim, was published by Siedler Verlag/Random House, Germany in Fall 2017. A frequent contributor to ''
The Walrus
''The Walrus'' is an independent, non-profit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an 8-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a national s ...
'', ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' and '' Die Zeit'' (Germany), among others, Aster has presented lectures on music and media, history, and politics at the University of Cologne, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Gasteig (Munich), the Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg) and at London's
Wiener Library
The Wiener Holocaust Library () is the world's oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the pe ...