Our Opernmäuse (opera mices) give free rein to their curiosity and discover the opera house as a place of their own. Along the way, they uncover a few secrets during rehearsal visits and behind-the-scenes tours. Encounters with artists and staff from various departments offer a fascinating glimpse into corners of the opera house that are otherwise hidden from the public.

Requirements: Children must be aged between 6 and 10 (inclusive) as of 1 September 2026 and be in school. The programme takes place without parental accompaniment.

10 sessions: Sept. 2026 – June 2027

Costs
one-off fee for the entire season: €50.00 standard price
free for families with proof of eligibility (formerly ‘berlinpass’)

The Junge Deutsche Oper is continuing its participative and inclusive work. Children and youths with and without disabilities work together to develop a piece of musical theatre while discovering their personal and individual forms of expression. The opera becomes a space of action for youth-related themes that can be brought to the stage through artistic means. What kind of music does the world need? What kind do I, and our society, need?

These questions are influenced by John Cage, who can be found at various points in the Deutsche Oper Berlin programme for this season. Children and youths between 9 and 18 years of age take these questions under the guidance of art educators to create their own piece of musical theatre. At the heart of this project are participation, self-realisation and artistic diversity: Everybody brings with they have, be it their voice, instrument, movement, sound, idea or experience.

A central motif of this project is the process of «vibration» in the sense of internal, external and social movement. The participants address the question of what moves them emotionally and physically, and what acoustic environments and impressions they encounter every day. These individual experiences become the source material for sound experiments, scene developments and choreographic processes. The concept of «sound» is deliberately broad: Voice, body, objects, everyday objects, ambient sounds and instruments are all treated equally, all in line with the concepts of John Cage.

At the same time, the project is a place for expressing desires, needs and demands of the world and society: What can we counteract with music (or silence) in these times of «uncertainty»? How can I listen well to myself and my needs? What message should my music send? How can music help us and make us move in our own way again? What kind of music does the world need now and going forward?

The children and youths will come together for weekly rehearsals between January and June 2027 to listen, experiment, create and work according to the methods of John Cage or community music. Throughout the project, the groups will increasingly mingle and the various worlds of experience, forms of expression and perspectives will be deliberately used as artistic resources for joint final performances at the Tischlerei in June 2027.

The result is a work of musical theatre that, as Cage taught, may be entirely left up to chance. It could be more like a happening or a score with fixed principles and rules.

Registration: jungedeutscheoper@deutscheoperberlin.de

Performances: 25, 26 and 27 June 2027 at the Tischlerei

With the support of

Fancy an opera but can’t be bothered with stuffy etiquette and don’t have anyone to go with? With our ‘Opernsenf’ viewing club, we’ll go to a performance together – and best of all: there are massive discounts on tickets! Afterwards, we’ll get down to brass tacks: who cheated on whom? Couldn’t the set design have been a bit cooler? Whether you’re an opera expert, a fan or a first-timer – we want to know what you think; everyone’s welcome to have their say. The deal: cheap tickets & cool people. The mission: your perspective matters. The Schauklub is organised by former FSJ volunteer Madeleine Kandschur.

Further information and contact:
jungedeutscheoper@deutscheoperberlin.de

or Instagram DM: junge_deutscheoperberlin

 

Our new workshop format opens up creative spaces where participants can immerse themselves in artistic methods from a variety of disciplines. We invite artists from selected new productions to present their working methods and give participants the opportunity to express themselves aesthetically through these means.

Writing workshop 5.4.27
with our Poet in Residence, Fiston Mwanza Mujila

Discover  

Further ateliers on the themes of costume and voice are in the pipeline.