Gerhard Polifka
Chorus Master
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Gerhard Polifka is working at Oper Frankfurt for the first time, on this new production of Parsifal. He took up the post of deputy chorus master at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin in 2022/23, where he has worked on new productions and all kinds of revivals with conductors including Simon Rattle, René Jacobs, Robin Ticciati, Thomas Guggeis, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Bertrand de Billy and Massimo Zanetti. He assisted chorus master Eberhard Friedrich at the 2024 Bayreuth Festival and worked with the Berlin Radio Chorus for a concert in November that year. He also organises various other projects. He studied music and chorus direction with Jörg Straube and orchestra direction at the University for Music in Würzburg. He gained further advice and inspiration from Frieder Bernius and Martin Steidler. As soon as he embarked on his studies he was running various ensembles, founding the Bach-Kantaten-Club Würzburg e.V., NEAMus (New Ensemble for Early Music) and the Spectrum Kammerchor. After graduation he worked at the Pfalztheater in Kaiserslautern as a chorus master and Kapellmeister, training the chorus and conducting concerts and operas.