International Master Alexander Vitlin Collaborates with NTNU College of Music
Austria's Mozarteum University Salzburg, ranked among the top 20 music institutions globally by QS World University Rankings, has maintained a growing partnership with the College of Music at National Taiwan Normal University. Mozarteum’s President, Professor Elisabeth Gutjahr, paid her first visit to NTNU in 2023, and the latest milestone in this collaboration was Professor Alexander Vitlin’s visit on 22-27 March.
Professor Vitlin specializes in opera, conducting, and piano collaboration at Mozarteum. He is also a permanent conductor at the Staatsoper Berlin. With extensive experience as both conductor and répétiteur across European opera houses, Professor Vitlin brought rare practical expertise to NTNU.
Masterclasses: Insights from the Opera Stage
During his weeklong visit, Professor Vitlin led 15 NTNU students through the core demands of operatic performance. For singers, he emphasized precise diction, idiomatic language delivery, and deep character immersion. Students received Vitlin’s personalized guidance on forging a seamless connection between voice and dramatic intent. For piano collaboration students, Vitlin offered an orchestral perspective drawn from full scores, addressing interpretive flexibility, tonal nuance, and the art of listening and responding sensitively to a singer in real time.
Vocal student Hsiao-Chi Chien recounted how Professor Vitlin's decades of professional opera experience translated into clear, actionable instructions on language, prosody, and performance tradition. Piano student Ji-Xian Chen noted that Vitlin helped her understand how to interpret and embellish orchestral reductions at the piano, an experience she described as invaluable.
A Cross-Departmental Concert Showcasing Integrated Talent
Four days of intensive workshops culminated in an opera concert on the evening of 27 March, jointly organized by the Voice Division of the Music Department and the Piano Collaboration Program of NTNU’s Graduate Institute of Performing Arts. Dean Hsiao-Fen Chen opened the event by highlighting the event’s core spirit of cross-departmental collaboration. She expressed warm gratitude to all the faculty members present for their encouragement and support.
Professor Vitlin curated a richly varied program spanning multiple national operatic traditions. German composer Meyerbeer opened the evening with brilliant coloratura showpieces; French composer Gounod captured the innocence and vitality of young love. Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute, alongside Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, showcased distinct characters and theatrical charm. The program concluded triumphantly with works by Puccini and Donizetti.
Every available seat was filled at the concert, which showcased the remarkable progress that NTNU music students achieved through intensive rehearsal in an extremely short timeframe. The performance also testified to the commitment of NTNU’s College of Music to meaningful international exchange and excellence in music education.