Teru Yoshihara, baritone, studied singing at the Tokyo State University of Music and Art, then in Milan and finally at the HMDK Stuttgart. The baritone made his operatic debut in 1995 and won first prize at the ‘Japanese Song Competition’ in Tokyo in 1996. Since then, he has sung concerts and operas in Europe and Japan with great success. He has worked with conductors such as Nello Santi and Helmuth Rilling. Since 2002, Teru Yoshihara has made it a priority to present Japanese art songs in Europe and he is also active in a variety of cultural exchange programmes. He also promotes young talent with great dedication and is a member of the jury for Jugend musiziert. His work at the HMDK Stuttgart is characterised by great motivation, professional and pedagogical competence. Teru Yoshihara has been a lecturer and teacher there since 2007 and a professor since 2019.
Sybilla Rubens
Sibylla Rubens studied concert and opera singing in Trossingen and Frankfurt am Main. As a highly sought-after singer, she has performed globally with conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Christian Thielemann, Kent Nagano, Helmuth Rilling, Hartmut Haenchen, Manfred Honeck, Sir Roger Norrington, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Gielen, Marc Albrecht, Marek Janowski, and Riccardo Chailly. Rubens served on the board of the Leipzig Bach Society for 10 years and directed the oratorio class at the Leopold Mozart College of Music at the University of Augsburg from 2014 to 2016. Her artistic versatility is showcased in approximately 100 CD recordings.
Ryoko Wakatsuki
Dr. Ryoko Wakatsuki, soprano, studied singing at the Tokyo State University of Music and Art, then in Milan, before completing her doctorate in Tokyo. She began her successful opera and concert career in many cities in Japan and Europe while still a student. She has sung various roles at the Tokyo State Opera and under the direction of renowned conductors such as Seiji Ozawa and James Lockhart. Her special course "Yoga for Singers" has been a great success in Germany and Japan since 1996. This yoga was put together specifically for singers from elements of "Raja Yoga", "Ancient Hatha Yoga (Pranayama)" and "Japanese Healing Yoga" to promote easier and freer singing. Ryoko Wakatsuki is keen to pass on her own positive experiences to young singers. She has been teaching "Yoga for Singers" bodywork at the HMDK Stuttgart since 2016.
