PRESENT PROJECT !

Original idea and libretto for the chamber opera “Amadeo Roldán: La Luz Musical“ in Spanish

Composers: José Victor Gavilondo Peón & Yasel Muñoz Alvarez

Director: Jorinde Keesmaat

World Premiere in Havana in October 2021 in cooperation with Mozarteum Salzburg

Guest Performance at the Salzburg festival “Dialogues“ in November 2021

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Beate Haeckl was born in Lindau/Bodensee. She spent her childhood and youth in Madrid and Paris, where she obtained the French baccalauréat.

She studied French and English philology at Heidelberg University and obtained the German State Exams I & II, as well as a Master degree in Roman and Anglo-Saxon philology.

From 1979 to 1981, she taught as assistant lecturer for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) at Goldsmiths’ College, University of London.

She went on to obtain a ‘Postgraduate Diploma in Theatrical Studies’ in Cardiff, Wales. There she joined Carmen Jakobi in founding the trilingual theatre group “Triangle Theatre“ for which she wrote plays, directed and acted.

In 1984 she moved to Berlin. Parallel to teaching at a German Grammar School (French/English), she worked as director, assistant director, dramaturge and actress for various theatre and opera companies, especially Berliner Kammeroper (Henry Akina, Brynmor Jones) as well as in radio and television.

Beate wrote two musicals in German, English and French: “myrasputin.com“, produced at the German Musical Congress in Hamburg in 2001, and “Tania la Guerrillera“.

Her comedy “Gods like You and Me” (2007) is being widely staged in German-speaking countries, in particular by drama students and in open-air venues.

In 2007 she won the second prize in the international libretto competition by netzzeit Wien, Luzerner Theater and Opera Genesis London. Her libretto in both German and English versions is based on two short stories by Haruki Murakami.

In 2010, the theatre project “Luna´s Bracelet“ for which she signed as co-author was performed in the Jewish Orphans’ Home in Berlin-Pankow.

In 2012, Beate obtained a master degree in biographical and creative writing from Alice Salomon College, Berlin.

As a songwriter for various groups and artists, she is member of the GEMA (German Society for performing and mechanical reproduction rights). She writes lyrics for and with various groups and artists, amongst others music comedian Michael Krebs. She contributed several English lyrics to the CD “Roots“ by the prog-pop group Planting Robots released in 2017.

Commissioned for an opera libretto by Théâtre de La Monnaie, Brussels, she collaborated with Pascal Dusapin on “Penthesilea“ (based on Kleist). In August 2014, an extract under the title “Wenn du dem Wind…” was performed in preview in concert at Suntory Hall, Tokyo. The world premiere took place in Brussels in March 2015. The same year “Penthesilea” was performed in Strasburg at Opéra du Rhin. The CD of the live performance conducted by Frank Ollu was released in October 2019 at Cypres Records.

In 2016, Laurence Equilbey commissioned Beate to create a scenic version of “Egmont: Beethoven/Goethe“. The premiere under the direction of Séverine Chavrier took place at the Seine Musicale, Paris with Laurence Equilbey conducting insula orchestra. The same year the production was invited to perform at Theater an der Wien, Austria.

The collaboration with Anne Théron (compagnie les productions merlin) led to Beate creating a German version of Anne´s widely performed play “Ne Me Touchez Pas“.

In the course of writing her opera libretto “Amadeo Roldán: La Luz Musical“ freely based on the life of the Cuban composer Roldán (1900-1939), Beate has repeatedly travelled to Cuba. In November 2019, she joined a German delegation of artists at the invitation of the Cuban Ministry of Culture in order to present her project in Havana. At present, she is working on the opera with her team of composers José Victor Gavilondo Peón and Yasel Muñoz Alvarez. It will celebrate its world premiere in Havana in October 2021 in cooperation with Mozarteum Salzburg and be invited to their festival “Dialogue“ the following month.