Bavarian Opera Academy

26/05/2026

Last week, I had the great pleasure of giving a three-day masterclass at the University of Music Würzburg.

A heartfelt thank you to Kammersänger and Professor of Voice Jochen Kupfer and the University of Music Würzburg for the kind invitation and your trust.

I would also like to thank all 21 talented singing students who took part in this masterclass, the excellent pianist Han-Lin Yun, who accompanied these very intensive days with outstanding musicality and concentration, and of course my beautiful wife Selin and our daughter Charlotte, who joined me on this trip and, as always, were the most wonderful travel companions.

19/05/2026

Dreaming of singing in Italy? 🇮🇹

Join me in the breathtaking city of Taranto, on the beautiful Ionian coast of southern Italy, for an inspiring course and the chance to work intensively with me — for a tuition fee of only €90!

Dates: 22 & 23 June 2026

This special course is organized by Associazione Arturo Toscanini, whose mission is to help opera singers & musicians start and develop their professional careers.

At this price, in such a stunning location, this is truly an exceptional opportunity you won’t want to miss!

Registration:

https://www.associazionearturotoscanini.it/workshop-con-kalle-kanttila/

-Fans

15/05/2026

One week ago, we had the wonderful final workshop of this spring season at Bavarian Opera Academy in Regensburg.

We are beyond grateful to opera director Eva Schuster of Aalto Theater Essen for joining us to listen to our singers and for offering such valuable advice and insights.

A special shout-out also to our outstanding mental trainer and psychologist Selin Tabak, who once again gave an incredibly important and inspiring session on stage presence, charisma, overcoming stage fright, and discovering one’s own artistic strength. It is always remarkable to witness the transformation singers experience through her work.

We would also like to sincerely thank all the talented participants of this workshop and of all 10 workshops this season. It makes us deeply proud and grateful that every single workshop was once again fully booked, and that we were able to support so many singers on their path into the European opera market and help them secure their first international engagements.

After the summer break, we will continue with many prestigious opera houses and exciting new opportunities.

Stay tuned — if you are ready for the next step in your opera career, Bavarian Opera Academy might be the right place for you.

Kanttila Management
Bavarian Opera Academy

29/04/2026

We had an absolutely wonderful time last weekend giving a masterclass in the picturesque town of Merano in Northern Italy.

Over three inspiring days, we had the pleasure of working with 13 highly talented singers. My dear wife Selin contributed a truly valuable session on stage presence, charisma, and performance psychology, which added a meaningful dimension to the course.

A heartfelt thank you to Richard Josef Sigmund, who, through his work with the Merano Academy, is creating outstanding opportunities for young artists — from diverse concert and opera productions to masterclasses and international singing competitions — and to Kulturverein Amaté for the kind invitation, your exceptional hospitality, and your friendship. What you are building for young singers is truly meaningful and inspiring.

At the end of the course, the participants had the opportunity to perform in a fully booked Teatro Puccini Merano — a wonderful and well-deserved moment for all of them. And perhaps the most enthusiastic applause came from our beautiful daughter, who joined the audience in celebrating the singers.

On our way back, we made a lovely stop at Chiemsee to celebrate Selin’s birthday — the perfect ending to a truly special journey.

21/04/2026

Very pleasant meeting & audition with Damia Carbonell Nicolau, casting director of Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, last Sunday in Regensburg.

Thank you for the inspiring exchange and for taking the time to listen to our singers at Bavarian Opera Academy

A special thank you also to my dear wife, psychologist, writer & mindfulness coach Selin Tabak Kanttila, for her highly valuable group session on stage presence, charisma, and performance psychology for our talented participants at the Bavarian Opera Academy.

Kanttila Management
Selin Tabak

16/04/2026

The Casting Director of Dutch National Opera, Damia Carbonell Nicolau, will be our guest at the Bavarian Opera Academy in Regensburg this weekend.

Due to two last-minute cancellations, we now have two spots available.

This is a rare opportunity – our courses and auditions have been fully booked for the past 8 years. I would strongly encourage highly talented young singers to seize this chance and take the next step in their careers.

Please register at:

https://www.bayerische-opernakademie.de

Photo credits: Jan Willem Kaldenbach

Kanttila Management

26/02/2026

The International Opera Agency Kanttila Management and the Bavarian Opera Academy are bringing the “Audition Training
& Casting Audition” event to Vienna!

The International Opera Agency Kanttila Management and the Bavarian Opera Academy are bringing the “Audition Training
& Casting Audition” event to Vienna!

https://www.bayerische-opernakademie.de/vienna-2026-march.html

March 6–8, 2026 VIENNA

Kanttila Management, The International Opera Agency Kanttila Management and the Bavarian Opera Academy, in collaboration with CS Music, are bringing the “Consultation & Audition” event to Chicago! May 25–26, 2025 | Chicago

24/02/2026

Immensely proud of Theater Regensburg, which has been awarded Best Opera House 2026 at the Oper! Awards — the very house where I began my singing career and spent three wonderful years as a resident tenor soloist.

This award usually goes to major institutions such as Oper Frankfurt, Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and other internationally renowned companies. Under the leadership of Sebastian Ritschel, Regensburg has now moved into the very top tier of the opera world — a remarkable and well-deserved recognition of artistic courage, vision and dedication.

Warmest congratulations to the entire team at Theater Regensburg and to all this year’s prize winners.

I was especially delighted to see Miina-Liisa Värelä honoured as Best Female Singer. I had the pleasure of singing Manrico alongside her Leonora in Il Trovatore at Opera Lahti in Finland.

And congratulations as well to tenor Jonathan Tetelman. What a pleasure it was to hear such a world-class artist on the stage of my hometown — and thank you for the very pleasant chat at the aftershow party.

A proud and emotional moment for me personally — and a strong signal that outstanding opera can thrive far beyond the major capitals.

23/02/2026

Had such a lovely weekend with the extremely talented 12 students at the Bavarian Opera Academy. I am immensely grateful to the General Director (Intendant) of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Christian Firmbach, who made the effort to come to Regensburg to listen to our singers and give them very valuable advice. It makes me even more proud and thankful that he invited as many as nine singers to the stage audition in Karlsruhe. Programmes offering this level of concrete career access are rare in our field. 🎭✨

I would also like to thank our two fantastic pianists, Bo Price and Paolo Troian, for their wonderful accompaniment 🎹, and of course my beloved wife Selin, psychologist, who gave an extremely inspiring and valuable group session on mental training for singers. It was incredible to see what a huge change that session made in both the performances and the self-confidence of the singers.

There are still a couple of slots available for the following workshops and auditions this spring:

📍 March 5–8, 2026 in Vienna
Audition for Hermann Schneider, General Director / Artistic Director of the Landestheater Linz, on March 8

📍 March 20–22, 2026 in Regensburg
Audition for Nicola Raab, Opera Director of the Staatstheater Darmstadt, on March 23

📍 April 17–19, 2026 in Regensburg
Audition for Damia Carbonell Nicolau, Casting Director of Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, on April 19

📍 May 8–10, 2026 in Regensburg
Audition for Eva-Kristina Schuster, Opera Director of Aalto Musiktheater Essen, on May 10

Further information & registration:

https://www.bayerische-opernakademie.de

All professional opera singers with the potential for international careers are welcome to apply

Kanttila Management


Bavarian Opera Academy operaauditions

03/02/2026

I can’t wait to join the jury of this very interesting and high-level competition in Izmir, Turkey, for the fourth time already. Over the years, I have discovered several extraordinarily talented young singers through this competition, such as Ferhat Baday, whom I brought to the opera studio of the Komische Oper Berlin and who has since sung at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Bregenz Festival, and, from this season onward, at Opera Cologne. Last year’s winner, Metehan Köklü, joined the opera studio of the Semperoper Dresden this season.

I am very much looking forward to seeing my dear fellow jury members again and to enjoying some sunshine in Turkey with my beloved Selin and Charlotte.

Many thanks to Aytül and her wonderful team for once again organizing this important competition and for the kind invitation. .dickie.3