Michael

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.

– Martha Graham

Michael Pinkerton, internationally recognized educator, producer, artistic administrator, coach, audition strategist and stage director, has been the head of the Voice and Opera department at the Konservatorium Wien City of Vienna University in Vienna, Austria for the past ten years.

From 2002 until the end of 2009, Michael Pinkerton was also the Artistic Director of Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, Musical Theater Division – a company consisting of three historic theaters – Theater an der Wien, Raimund and Ronacher. New productions under his supervision included the revival of Elisabeth, German-speaking premieres of Romeo and Juliet and The Producers and the world premieres of Barbarella (music by Dave Stewart) and Rebecca. Most recent projects were the new musical Rudolf, based on Frederic Morton’s “A Nervous Splendor” composed by Frank Wildhorn with David Leveaux as stage director, the German-speaking premiere of the musical Spring Awakening and the revival of Polanski’s Dance of the Vampires .

Pinkerton’s involvement with Vereinigte Bühnen Wien dates back to 1989, when he assumed the leadership for Theater an der Wien’s apprentice program. In 1994, he became head of Artistic Production supervising productions of Elisabeth, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, the European premiere of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and preparation for Roman Polanski’s Dance of the Vampires.

From 1997 until 2002, Michael Pinkerton was Artistic Director of the German musical theater company, Stella Entertainment. In this capacity he supervised numerous productions including Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast and Dance of the Vampires. Mr. Pinkerton also served as the artistic leader of Stella Entertainment’s collaboration with the Walt Disney Theatrical Company for the co-production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This world premiere (music Alan Menken, lyrics Stephen Schwarz, book and direction James Lapine) in Berlin on June 5th, 1999, was central to the revival of the historic Potsdamer Platz. During this time, Michael Pinkerton was also the founder and director of Stella’s apprentice school, the Stella Academy.

Michael Pinkerton’s stage directing credits include Albert Herring (Britten), Viva la Mamma (Donizetti), Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach), Mozart’s The Impresario, Abduction from the Seraglio, Die Zauberflöte, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Dialogues of the Carmelites (Poulenc), Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi (Puccini), L’enfant et les sortileges (Ravel), Il viaggio a Reims (Rossini) Emil and the Detectives (Schubring), Into the Woods (Sondheim), Der Zar läßt sich photographieren (Weill) and numerous musical revues and opera scenes.

Before his work as a stage director and producer, Michael Pinkerton enjoyed a distinguished career as a singer and actor. He was a frequent soloist with the Wiener Kammeroper and the Stuttgarter Staatsoper. As a modern music specialist, he performed in several world premieres with international festivals in Vienna, Munich, Berlin and Arezzo.

Various educational projects have included initiating and directing the Musical Theater Workshop for the International Youth Festival in Bayreuth, Germany, directing opera performances for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in Alaska, master classes for the FESNOJIV Vocal Academy in Caracas, Venezuela, master classes for the German for Singers program at Middlebury College, Institute for European Studies – Vienna and Rider University’s program Vienna: Language of Lieder.

In recognition for his artistic achievements, Michael Pinkerton received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Louisville in October 2006.