Rainer O. Brinkmann
Rainer O. Brinkmann is an opera pedagogue, dramaturge and ExOperTe at universities and artistic institutions. He is internationally recognised for his work in opera education and outreach, particularly his research into the scenic interpretation of opera and his commitment to opening up the genre to children and young people. His work focuses on creating encounters between cultural institutions and the energy, creativity and emerging aspirations of young people, opening up new perspectives for the future of opera.
Brinkmann began his career as a theatre educator, actor and director, working with organisations including KonzerTheater, Theatercompanie Voland and theater 3 hasen oben. Since 1984, he has focused on participation and outreach in opera, publishing extensively in the field and founding the Institute for Scenic Interpretation of Music Theatre. His teaching activities have taken him to universities in Germany and abroad, and through numerous productions for children and young people he has contributed to establishing opera as a field of cultural education.
From 2001 to 2018, Brinkmann developed the opera outreach programme at the Berlin State Opera, where he also worked as dramaturge and director of the Young State Opera. Since 2014, he has headed the Opera Pedagogy course at Mozarteum University Salzburg. At the Salzburg Festival, he has worked as curator, consultant and dramaturge for the youth programme jung&jeder*. Since 2022, he has been project manager at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media for the project n[o]ice!, in which participants develop, compose and perform contemporary opera.