Rocc (born Rok Rappl, 14 December 1979 in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian-born opera and music theatre stage director, scenic designer,

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and printed programmes (or helps others with these tasks), consults auth ...

, performance artist, opera manager and pedagogue. His

mononymous A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

pseudonym is a tribute to , Rocc's professor of stage acting and his life mentor.

Biography

Rocc studied opera stage directing at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Czech Republic (1998–2003, Master of Arts), followed up by postgraduate studies in scenography at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst in Zurich, Switzerland (2003–2005, Executive Master), and with at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach am Main, Germany (2005–2006). He was granted a scholarship by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, as well as receiving support from the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He has staged more than 60 different productions in Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Great Britain and Israel. He has worked with opera houses in Ljubljana, Prague,

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

, Ostrava,

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, Wrocław, with the

Grieg Hall Grieg Hall ( no, Grieghallen) is a 1,500 seat concert hall located on Edvard Griegs' square in Bergen, Norway. Grieghallen was named in honor of Bergen-born composer Edvard Grieg, who served as music director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra ...

and the National Theatre in Bergen, with the Ljubljana's Cankar Centre, with the Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts and elsewhere. His projects have been presented at several international festivals, such as ISCM World Music Days,

Ljubljana Festival The Ljubljana Summer Festival is a festival held between July and August in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It attracts notable opera stars, ballet and theatre performers and also eminent rock and jazz musicians internationally who perform at ...

Bergen International Festival Bergen International Festival ( no, Festspillene i Bergen) is an annual international music and cultural festival in Bergen, Norway. Biography The Bergen International festival is the largest festival in the Nordic countries in its genre and ha ...

Prague Quadrennial Held in Prague once every four years since 1967, the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space or Prague Quadrennial is the world's largest event in the field of scenography, consisting of a competitive presentation of contemporary work in ...

, OPERA Festival in Prague, Janáček Brno Festival, , Exposition of New Music Festival in Brno, project in the Czech Republic, Warsaw Autumn Festival of Contemporary Music, Audio Art Festival in Kraków, Festival of Sacred Music in Pordenone, Day of the Composer in the Netherlands, Jerusalem Lyric Opera Festival. Rocc has a special affinity for contemporary opera combining alternative sound, performing and installation arts, new media and site-specific projects. Since 2013 he has been the initiator and Artistic Director of Concept operapovera, an ensemble focused on contemporary and experimental music theatre aesthetics. In the 2007/2008 season he held the post of Dramaturge of the Slovenian National Opera in Maribor. The 2008/2009 season saw him as Deputy Artistic Director and Dramaturge of the Janáček Opera of the

National Theatre Brno The National Theatre Brno ( cs, Národní divadlo Brno) is an opera, ballet and drama company in the Czech Republic, that nation's second busiest. It was established in 1884 on the model of the National Theatre company in Prague. Today it runs th ...

, in 2009–2011 he was Artistic Director of the Janáček Opera and a member of the Programme Board of the International Janáček Brno Festival. In 2011–2013 he was Artistic Director of the

Prague State Opera The State Opera (Czech: Státní opera) is an opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is part of the National Theatre of the Czech Republic, founded by Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic in 1992. The theatre itself originally opened in ...

, which has been affiliated with the National Opera in Prague since 2012. In 2013–2019 he was Artistic Director of the Slovenian National Opera in his hometown Ljubljana. Rocc is also active as a pedagogue of opera stage directing and opera acting and as a member of professional juries.

Recognitions

* 2018 Recognition for important works of art, the highest artistic title of the University of Ljubljana, which is equivalent to the scientific title of Doctor of Science * 2020 Recognition of the Mayor of the Municipality of Litija on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of artistic activities

Productions

* 1999 La serva padrona by

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), often referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist. His best-known works include his Stabat Mater and the opera ''L ...

, Janáček Academy in Brno (Chamber Opera) * 2002 L'amor generoso by

Alessandro Scarlatti Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan school of opera. ...

, Janáček Academy in Brno (Chamber Opera) * 2003 Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse by

Ernst Toch Ernst Toch (; 7 December 1887 – 1 October 1964) was an Austrian composer of classical music and film scores. He sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music. Biography Toch was born in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, into the family ...

, National Opera Ljubljana * 2004 by

Josef Berg Josef Berg (8 March 1927 – 26 February 1971) was a Czech composer, musicologist and librettist. His work represents a remarkable value in the context of Czech music after World War II.Čeští skladatelé současnosti, p. 25 Life From 19 ...

, Janáček Academy in Brno (Studio 09) * 2004 by

, Janáček Academy in Brno (Studio 09) * 2004 (world premiere) by Markéta Dvořáková & , National Theatre Prague (Estates Theatre) * 2005 The Days of the Nights (world premiere) by Vít Zouhar, National Theatre Brno (Reduta Theatre) * 2007 Lacrimae Alexandri Magni (world premiere) by Tomáš Hanzlík, National Theatre Prague (Estates Theatre) * 2008 La Belle et la Bête by

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, National Theatre Brno (Reduta Theatre) * 2008 Macbeth (world premiere) by Michal Košut, Brno International Music Festival (Reduta Theatre) * 2009

Lo speziale ''Lo speziale'' (''The Apothecary''), Hob. 28/3, is a three-act opera buffa by Joseph Haydn, with a libretto by Carlo Goldoni. A love triangle between the poor apprentice Mengone, the rich and assured dandy Volpino, and the local apothecary's ...

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, National Opera Ljubljana & Ljubljana Festival (Ljubljana Castle – open-air) * 2010 La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini, National Theatre Brno (Mahen Theatre) * 2010 Šárka by Leoš Janáček, National Theatre Ostrava * 2010

Ariane Ariane may refer to: *Ariana (name), also Ariane, Arianne Arts * ''Ariane'' (Martinů), an opera by Bohuslav Martinů, first performed 1961 * ''Ariane'' (Massenet), an opera by Jules Massenet, first performed 1906 * ''Ariane'' (film), a 1931 ...

Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He bec ...

, National Theatre Ostrava * 2010 The Swineherd (world premiere) by , National Opera Ljubljana & Cankar Centre (Linhart Hall) * 2011 La Dafne (world premiere) by Vít Zouhar & Tomáš Hanzlík, National Theatre Brno (Reduta Theatre) * 2011 Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, Opera Bergen (Bergenhus Fortress – open-air) * 2011 Le Villi by Giacomo Puccini, Opera Bergen (Bergenhus Fortress – open-air) * 2012 Elektra by

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

, National Theatre Brno (Janáček Theatre) * 2012

The Miserly Knight ''The Miserly Knight'', Op. 24, also ''The Covetous Knight'' (russian: Скупой рыцарь, ''Skupój rýtsar’''), is a Russian opera in one act with music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, with the libretto based on Alexander Pushkin's drama of the ...

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

, Opera Bergen (Den Nationale Scene) * 2012 Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini, Opera Bergen (Den Nationale Scene) * 2012 Pelléas et Mélisande by

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

, National Theatre Prague * 2013 Let's Make an Opera! – The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten, National Opera Riga * 2013 Lohengrin by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, National Theatre Ostrava * 2013 La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, Opera Bergen (Markusplassen – open-air) * 2014 (world premiere) by & Markéta Dvořáková, National Theatre Brno (Reduta Theatre) * 2014 Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini, Opera Bergen (Bergenhus Fortress – open-air) * 2014

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Opera Bergen (Bergenhus Fortress – open-air) * 2014 Martin Středa by Andrew Yin Svoboda, operapovera (Janáček Academy in Brno - Chamber Hall) * 2015 The Tenth Daughter (world premiere) by , National Opera Ljubljana * 2015 Echo–Metamorphoses I (opera-installation, world premiere) by Vít Zouhar & Rocc, operapovera & PQ 2015 (Czech Museum of Music in Prague) * 2015

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

, Opera Bergen (Bergenhus Fortress – open-air) * 2015

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

Grigory Frid Grigory Samuilovich Frid also known as Grigori Fried (russian: Григо́рий Самуи́лович Фри́д, 22 September N.S. 1915 – 22 September 2012) was a Russian composer of music written in many different genres, including chamber ...

, National Opera Ljubljana (Stage -3) * 2015

, Opera Bergen & operapovera (Den Nationale Scene – Little Stage) * 2016 Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini, Opera Bergen & Bergen International Festival (Den Nationale Scene) * 2016

Haugtussa ''Haugtussa'' (edited 1895) is an epic circle of poems, written by the Norwegian author Arne Garborg. The poems are reckoned a classical example of Norwegian Neo-romanticism or Symbolism. The themes of the poems are closely related to Garborg's ...

by Edvard Grieg, operapovera & Janáček Brno Festival (Orlí Theatre) * 2016

The Diary of One Who Disappeared ''Zápisník zmizelého'', or ''(The) Diary of One Who Disappeared'', is a half-hour Czech-language quasi-operatic song cycle for tenor, alto, three other women's voices and piano completed in 1919 by Leoš Janáček. Of its 22 sections, 18 are f ...

by Leoš Janáček, operapovera & Janáček Brno Festival (Orlí Theatre) * 2017 Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven, National Opera Ljubljana & Wrocław Opera * 2017 Echo–Metamorphoses II (opera-ambient, world premiere) by Vít Zouhar & Rocc, operapovera (Czech Museum of Music in Prague) * 2018

Les pêcheurs de perles ' (''The Pearl Fishers'') is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was premiered on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in ...

, Opera Bergen (Sentralbadet) * 2018 Love Songs by Ana Sokolović, Slovenian Chamber Music Theatre & operapovera (The Old Power Station in Ljubljana) * 2018 The Ploughman and Death by

Emil Viklický Emil Viklický (born 23 November 1948) is a Czech jazz pianist and composer. Career Viklický was born in Olomouc. He graduated from Palacký University in 1971 with a degree in mathematics. As a student, he devoted a lot of time to playing ...

, Festival Opera Schrattenbach in Olomouc (Hus Congregational House) * 2019 code L (world premiere) by , National Opera Ljubljana * 2019

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, Opera Bergen (Grieg Hall) * 2019 Echo–Metamorphoses III (Gardens of Life, world premiere) by Vít Zouhar & Rocc, PQ 2019 & operapovera (Exhibition Grounds Prague) * 2019 Le veglie ossequiose by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Olomouc Baroque Festival (Theatrum Schrattenbach) * 2019 Die sieben Alter stimmen zusammen by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Olomouc Baroque Festival (Theatrum Schrattenbach) * 2019

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Opera Bergen (University Aula in Bergen) * 2019 MarISHA (world premiere) by Sára Medková, Vít Zouhar, &

Carmina Escobar Carmina Escobar (born 1981) is an experimental vocalist, improviser, performance artist, multimedia artist, composer, and educator from Mexico City who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Jeffrey Fleishman from the ''Los Angeles Times'' has ...

, Festival Meetings of New Music Plus in Brno (Orlí Theatre) * 2020 Julija (world premiere) by Aleš Makovac, Janez Trdina Cultural Centre in Novo mesto * 2020

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

by Giacomo Puccini, Opera Bergen (Bergenhus Fortress – open-air) * 2020 Beyond the Garden (world premiere) by

Stephen McNeff Stephen McNeff (born 6 September 1951) is an Irish composer, best known for his work in contemporary theatre and opera. Biography Stephen McNeff was born in Belfast and grew up in south Wales. He studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music ...

, Slovenian Chamber Music Theatre, operapovera & Cankar Centre (Štih Hall) * 2021 The Little Match Girl (world premiere) by , Slovenian Chamber Music Theatre (The Old Power Station in Ljubljana) * 2021 Il Davide by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Festival Hortus Magicus Kroměříž (Kroměříž Castle – open-air) & Olomouc Baroque Festival (The Holy Hill) * 2021 Apollon musagète &

Oedipus rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

, National Opera Ljubljana * 2021 TiAmo (world premiere) by , Sára Medková & Vít Zouhar, Audio Art Festival in Kraków (Academy of Music in Kraków – Concert Hall) * 2022

Agrippina Agrippina is an ancient Roman cognomen and a feminine given name. People with either the cognomen or the given name include: Cognomen Relatives of the Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa: * Vipsania Agrippina (36 BC–20 AD), first wife of th ...

by Georg Friederich Händel, Academy of Music in Ljubljana & Cankar Centre (Linhart Hall) * 2022

The Two Widows ''The Two Widows'' ( cz, Dvĕ vdovy) is a two-act Czech opera by Bedřich Smetana based on the libretto of Emanuel Züngel. The libretto is based on Jean Pierre Felicien Mallefille's one-act play ''Les deux veuves''. The opera was composed betwe ...

by Bedřich Smetana, National Theatre Ostrava * 2022 BallerinaBallerina (world premiere) by Petra Strahovnik, Ensemble Modelo62 (Theater De Vaillant in The Hague) * 2022

by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Opera Bergen (Grieg Hall) * 2022 Sara'smile (world premiere) by , Sára Medková & Vít Zouhar, Exposition of New Music Festival in Brno (Orlí Theatre) * 2022 ONI (world premiere) by Dan Dlouhý, Michal Indrák, Martin Švec, Kristýna Švihálková & , Festival Meetings of New Music Plus in Brno (Orlí Theatre) * 2022 I–ME (world premiere) by David Ryan, Vít Zouhar & Rocc, Slovenian Chamber Music Theatre (Atrium of the City Museum of Ljubljana) * 2023 by Viktor Ullmann, National Theatre Ostrava & National Theatre Prague (Estates Theatre) * 2023

Der Kaiser von Atlantis ' (''The Emperor of Atlantis or The Disobedience of Death'') is a one-act opera by Viktor Ullmann with a libretto by Peter Kien. They collaborated on the work while interned in the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt (Terezín) around 1943. ...

by Viktor Ullmann, National Theatre Ostrava & National Theatre Prague (Estates Theatre) * 2023 Inscriptions (world premiere) by David Ryan, Opera Aperta & University of the Arts London (Wimbledon College of Arts Theatre) * 2023

, Jerusalem Lyric Opera Festival & Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts (Sherover Theatre) * 2023

, Opera Bergen (Bergensmeieriet)

References

External links

Rocc's official website
* * {{Portal bar, Biography, Opera 1979 births Living people Opera directors Opera designers Opera managers Artistic directors Slovenian theatre directors Theatre people from Ljubljana Czech opera directors