Hans-Joachim Frey

Biography

Born in 1965 in Gehrden, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Studied at the University of Musik and Theater in Hamburg majoring in opera performance, musical theater directing (graduated in 1990) and cultural management (graduated in 1993).

Since 1993 he worked as artistic director at the Thuringian State Theater in Eisenach, in 1995 he held the same position at the Theater of Bremen.
From 1997 till 2007 he was artistic director of the Dresden State Opera.
Since 2006 till today he is President and Direktor of Dresden Semperoperaball.
From 2007 till 2011 he was chief director at the Theater Bremen.
Since 2011 a guest professor at the Seoul College of Arts, since 2015 – at the Ehwa Womans University (South Korea).
Since 2012 he was chief director, artistic director and chairman in Linz Brucknerhaus and LiVa.
Since 2013 Hans-Joachim Frey has been advisor to the general director of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia V. Urin.
Since 2017 – artistic director of the Sirius Educational Center (Sochi), created on the initiative of V. Putin by The Talent for Success educational foundation.

As production director Frey worked on:
2008–2010 – Verdi’s Aida, Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer and Puccini’s Turandot on the Seebuehne (Bremen), the concept for the 2500-seat floating stage developed by Frey.
2011 – Zar und Zimmermann by Lorzing (B. A. Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theatre/now the Chamber Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia).
2012 – Richard Wagner’s opera Der fliegende Holländer (G.TS. Tsydynzhapov Buryat Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet)in cooperation with the Irkutsk Regional Philharmonia on the stage of the N. M. Zagursky Irkutsk Musical Theatre;
2013 – Der fliegende Holländer by R. Wagner (Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus (Minsk);
2014 – W. A. Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte (G.TS. Tsydyn- zhapov Buryat Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet;
2015 – Tosca by G. Puccini (Primorsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet, now the Primorsky stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. It was premiered in Beijing and Batumi in the season 2015/16;
2016 – R. Strauss’ opera Ariadne auf Naxos (B. A. Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theatre/now the Chamber Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia named after B. A. Pokrovsky);
2017 – Zauberflöte by W. A. Mozart (Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus (Minsk);
2018 – Lucia di Lammermoor (E.V. Kolobov New Opera), Don Pasquale by G. Donizetti (St. Petersburg Music Hall Theatre).
2020 – Lohengrin by Richard Wager (Thüringen Statetheatre Erfurt/ Germany); Carmen by Bizet (Astrakhan Statetheatre).
2021 – operas in one act The Diary of Anne Frank. Weiße Rose (White Rose) by Grigory Frid, Udo Zimmermann, the Chamber Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.

Gala concerts and festivals:
In 1996 together with Prof. G. Raue he founded the Competizione dell’opera, an international competition for singers of Italian opera. In 2011, the semi-finals of the final competition were held in Russia, at the Bolshoi Theater. In 2019 Competizione dell’opera took place in the Sirius Park for Science and Arts (Sochi).
2011 – gala concert at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of twin-city relations between St. Petersburg and Dresden;
2013 – festive gala-concert in honor of the opening of the Mariinsky Theatre’s Primorsky stage in Vladivostok;
2017 – Musical Inflorescence summer festival in the Sirius Park for Science and Arts;
2018 – Night at the Bolshoi Gala concert of world opera stars at the Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theater, dedicated to the end of the World Football Championship;
2019 – Dresden Opera Ball in St. Petersburg.