Thien Phamtastic is fortunate to recognize his calling at an early age and have found something to cling to ever since. His childhood was blessed, protected, and guided by the obsession for the stage and its curtain. Little did he know why he was drawn to singing since no one in his family has a musical background; in fact, he did not bother questioning why, for he was too occupied finding the stairs or an elevated area and calling it his own stage each time his mom took him to an open-air concert in Vietnam. As his first friend and fan, his loving mother was patient enough to follow him far off the actual stage to help him find his own stage, watching and cheering the little boy on as he sang and felt such unfathomable joy, freedom, and ecstasy.Knowing that studying and living abroad is the best way for Thien to pursue his passion for western classical music and foreign languages, his family prepared him for the start of his peripatetic journey at the age of 16. His first scholarship and fate led him to the Public Academy for Performing Arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he finished high school within a year. Six years and twelve scholarships later, Thien graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts (second major) in Foreign Languages and Literature with concentrations in French and German. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded a scholarship and an opportunity to spend one year studying at the Musikhochschule Würzburg, Germany, where his love and curiosity for the country as well as vocal arts and languages grew by leaps and bounds. After the exchange year in Würzburg, Thien determined to return to Europe and thrive at the Heidelberg University by means of preparing for, starting, and earning his master’s degree in Translation Studies, thanks to the Baden-Württemberg-Stipendium and the STIBET-Stipendium from the DAAD. His thesis addresses ways in which singable translations can render foreign-language operas and musical theaters more accessible for not only a wider range of public but also for singers in large and small venues alike and for young people in North America.Voice teachers: Leslie Umphrey, Anke Hájková Endres, Javier Gonzalez
Coaches: Gordana Crnkovic, Ph.D. Kristin Ditlow, Colleen Sheinberg, Getraud Ottinger, Ph.D. James Yeager, Holger Berndsen, Martin Hummel, Thilo Winter
Diction coaches: Ph.D. Kristin Ditlow, Maximilian Schweda, Marie Paule Hallard, Getraud Ottinger, Thilo Winter, Holger Berndsen
Collaborative pianists: Colleen Sheinberg, PhD. James Yeager, Joshua-Allen Rupley, Bernhard Bentgens, Edward-Picton Tubervill, Paul Graeme Thomas, Till Otto, Marco Cavatorta, Kseniia Vokhmianina
Conductors: Emmanuel Villaume, Simon Halsey, Jan Wilke, Ph.D. Regina Carlow, Ph.D. Jorge Perez-Gomez, Ph.D. Kristin Ditlow, Ph.D. James Yeager, Bradley Ellingboe, Stephanie Praduroux, Anthony Barrese, Paul Bower, Matthew Greer, Andrew Allegria, Matthias Beckert, Christoph Dartsch, Edmund Torrez, Franz Wassermann
Directors: Leslie Umphrey, Sam Seppherson, David Bartholomew, Ph.D. James Yeager, Bradley Ellingboe, Matthew Greer, Richard Jones, Joe Austin, Anjali Mehra, Rick Sordelet, Joachim Bürkert, Nicole Dorn, Andreas Weber Schäfer
Masterclasses: Irwin Gage, Bruno Laplante, Pablo Zinger, Camilla Nylund, Valerie M Trujillo, Ph.D. Michael Hix
Academic Teachers/Professors: Ph.D. David Bashwiner, Ph.D. Marisa P. Clark, Ph.D. Susanne Baackmann, Ph.D. Rachele Duke, Ph.D. Christian Wood, Ph.D. Ana Alonso-Minutti, Ph.D. Michael Hix, Ph.D. José-Luis Hurtado Ruelas, Prof. Valerie Potter, Ph.D Alain Antoine, Ph.D. Kristina Jacobsen, Ph.D Anne-Sabine Nicolas, Ph.D. Anna Sawko von Massow, Ph.D. Iris Plack, Ph.D. Vahram Atayan, Ph.D. Matthias Wermke, Ph.D. John Stewart, Ph.D. Nicole Keller, Ph.D. Kerstin Kunz, Ph.D. Robynne Flynn-Diez, Ph.D. Anne Weber, Ph.D. Wencke Orbán, Ph.D. Anne Koopman, Melanie Scheid, David Bähr, Catherine Péant-Abrahams, Lucille Marinelli, Inna Rempel, Cathy Gamble, Nina Bowens, Rosalind Hutchinson, Rainer Christ, Katia Rostetter, Bernadette Tinti, Catherine Unseld, Anna Körkel, Brigitte Frelet, Johannes Engel, Christopher Koller, Scott Gullet, Brian McKeever, Amy James