Reviews
“I had the pleasure of attending the mental training for singers with Bavarian Opera Academy and let me tell you, this is an incredible session and something that is vital in all singers' arsenal. The work was a mixture of dramatic techniques incorporating Jungian methods which could be translated into character work upon stage and also self-awareness and introspection of your own mental well-being, an often-missed aspect for singers. After attending my sessions with Selin, a truly empathic and charismatic teacher, I walked away with a newfound knowledge and awareness of my own craft and how to ensure that I am able to best show this on stage. These sessions will challenge your own craft on stage but also highlight your own habits and give insight into your strengths and weaknesses. A superb addition to this already fantastic course!”
- Ami Walsh
”Undergoing the mental trainings with Selin has helped me as a singer better understand myself, how my mind and perception of myself and the world works, and how to consciously and more effectively approach embodiment of a character I’m portraying in a manner that retains my own unique personality as a person — betters it, even. (Of course we learn from the person we sing as well) I look forward to more sessions with Selin! In this time and age, I do believe that a singer’s training has to have this new department, and I have realized this after a couple of sessions with Selin.”
- Nikka Lopez
”Ich fand die Session mit Selin sehr hilfreich. Sie hat genau die richtigen Themen angesprochen in der kurzen Session, auf die es bei mir ankam in dem Moment und ich hatte das Gefühl, dadurch konzentriert, fokussiert und selbstsicher in die Audition zu gehen. Ich habe kurz vorm Singen auch die Körperübungen von Selin wiederholt und mich mental aufs Vorsingen eingestellt, das hat wunderbar geholfen.
Danke euch beiden!!”
- Eva Maria Summerer
”Working with Selin was an absolute pleasure. She clearly loves working with and supporting artists, and I found her physical and mental exercises for preparing for singing in an audition to be most helpful. She is so engaged, kind, knowledgeable, and present. I look forward to the chance when I can work with her again in the future.
- Alexandra Lang
Attending the Bavarian Opera Academy was a wonderful experience for me. It is very evident that Kalle is so very supportive of us young singers, giving us valuable advice and feedback in our sessions.
Furthermore, there was also a special addition to the Academy with Selin Tabak for mental training.
Having spent a lot of time studying in big conservatories in Germany and New York, where unfortunately no courses were offered related to mental training, I appreciated this enormously.
I believe that mental training is one of the most important (and so often overlooked) tools that singers can gain so much from. Our entire profession is built on having a strong functioning mental state and preparation and I am so grateful for the wonderful sessions I had with Selin, where she completely and flexibly catered to my needs in the moment. Her empathetic and sensitive nature is encouraging to work with and I found the sessions to be extremely beneficial, preparing me very well for the audition there and all the others that followed this audition season.
- Johanna Will
We, singers, are like high-level athletes. So, like them, training our mental abilities will allow us to show the maximum of our competences in moments of great stress, such as auditions. Working with Selin during the last workshop at the Bavarian Opera Academy helped me to face the reality of an audition by accepting who I am in the present moment: my limitations and the emotions of my life story. In the strange circumstances of an audition, where it can seem so frightening to be in front of a jury or in front of an intendant, it is very helpful to have a toolbox of resources that can be used to activate one's energy from the very beginning of the performance. Far from esoteric approaches, the work with Selin draws on her knowledge of meditation techniques, psychology and yoga to offer the singer concrete exercises to calm the nervous system and prepare the body and mind to sing with its real and actual possibilities.
- Natalia Pastrana