Quillo Ahead of Struwwelpeter

The Association Quillo e.V. along with their Ensemble Quillo was founded in Falkenhagen in the Uckermark region in 2004. As the only ensemble for New Music in the state of Brandenburg, the Ensemble Quillo has performed numerous works from the 20th and 21st century, including several world premieres. In addition to staging New Music concerts, the ensemble actively supports music education projects, such as “Junge Opernwerkstätten” and “Kleines Musiktheater” (Small Music Theatre), as well as cross-genre projects and contemporary music theatre. The ensemble has also guest-performed at the Staatsoper Berlin in Hans Werner Henze’s “El Cimarrón” and the youth opera “Hans im Glück” (Hans in Luck).
The Ensemble Quillo developed and produced a bilingual chamber opera, which premiered in Brandenburg in 2019 with subsequent performances in Frankfurt (Oder), Schwedt and Belfast. The German-American author Irene Dische’s libretto is based on the motifs and characters in Heinrich Hoffmann’s “Shockheaded Peter”. Dische used the classic children’s book as a vantage point from which she casts a view on the everyday life and the situation of children today, their suffering and non-conformity. The British composer David Robert Coleman set the libretto to music for an orchestra, five singers and three instrumental soloists (flute, guitar and clarinet). Post-minimalism and the hyper music of classical animation films served as the musical reference points in this music theatre production.

Artistic director: Ursula Weiler
Composer: David Robert Coleman
Author: Irene Dische

Stage director: Sofia Simitzis
Set Design: Inga Timm
Video: Heta Multanen
Musical director: Max Renne

Struwwelpeter: Nicolas Ziélinski (countertenor)
Dr. Hoffmann: Hubert Wild (baritone)
Casparina: Soniá Grané (soprano)
Paulina: Lena Haselmann (mezzo-soprano)
Hunter, Der böse Friedrich: Christian Oldenburg (baritone)

Ensemble Quillo
Ursula Weiler (flute)
Daniel Göritz (guitar)
Alexander Glücksmann (clarinet)

Chamber orchestra of the Brandenburg Symphoniker, chamber orchestra of the Northern Ireland Opera

Additional Dates:

• Kleistforum, Frankfurt (Oder): 8.11.2019
• Northern Ireland Opera, Belfast: 2019/2020