Panel discussion
moderated by Jürgen Kesting (Journalist, Music critic and Author)

with
Jochen Kowalski (Altus)
Corinna Herr (Musicologist, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Bernhard Richter (Medical specialist for phoniatry and pedaudiology, Director of the Freiburger Institut für Musikermedizin)
and others

Playing with gender identity has been inherent to the theatre since its beginnings. It flourished in the opera of the 18th century, when the art of the castrati with their enchantingly ‘natural’ voices was at its peak. Within modern-day research into the cultural ascriptions and conceptions of femininity and masculinity, the voice is of special importance. The countertenor, who transcends gender boundaries with his male alto or soprano voice, is a prime example of this phenomenon. The fascination with androgynous voices is the subject of a panel discussion, in which we will examine this topic from the perspectives of music history, singing and medicine.