Pamela Krakauer

Location:

Singapore
Singapore 238858

Contact:

(+65) 83397798

Additional Info:

The first Singaporean to have graduated from the prestigious Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria, Pamela Krakauer obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano pedagogy with distinction in 2013 and 2015. She studied piano with Andreas Weber, piano pedagogy with Thomas Böckheler, chamber music with Tünde Kurucz, and choral conducting with Herbert Böck. Musicology was a central component of her studies, during which she did research on Schumann and Heine, and gastronomic motifs in Italian comic opera.

A former University student assistant at the Leopold Mozart Institute for Young Talents, she is also an active répétiteur with an affinity for opera and the art song repertoire. She collaborated with singers at the Franco-American Vocal Academy in a 2013 production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, in rehearsals of Mozart’s Requiem, in Lange Nacht der Kirchen concerts, and in masterclasses and Lieberabende in Austria and Germany.

Prior to her studies at the Mozarteum, she was a recipient of the 2007 University of Southern California Academic Merit Award. During her stint in Los Angeles as a graduate student in the English department, she also worked as an Assistant Lecturer teaching writing and critical thinking classes to undergraduates, took several classes in music history, and received piano instruction from faculty members at the USC Thornton School of Music. From 2002-2006, she was a member of the University Scholars Program at the National University of Singapore, where she received her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English Literature. Her last piano teacher in Singapore was Lim Tshui Fang. Pamela’s humanities background has served her in good stead when it comes to music and going beyond the piano as well, as a freelance editor for academics and other Austrian tertiary institutions.

A combination of fortuitous circumstances led to 6 years of formal study in piano pedagogy at the Mozarteum, having declined the acceptance offer to pursue a piano performance degree at London's Royal College of Music. In Austria, she attended masterclasses at the Mozarteum summer academy and learned the fundamentals of good piano teaching in various ways, having been mentored by Matthias Kontarsky during her semester-long teaching internship at Musikum Salzburg. She was also a piano instructor at the American International School of Salzburg from 2014 to 2016. In addition, she has worked with fellow music students who pursue piano as a second instrument at the Mozarteum.

Having undergone education in mainstream Singaporean schools and a conventional ABRSM piano education as a child (Grade 8 distinction at age 13, Advanced Certificate at 15) with the cello as her second instrument and extensive string ensemble playing experience, Pamela hopes to work with students to successfully navigate the demands of the academic system to establish a good piano foundation, without compromising on the joy and spontaneity of music making. A lover of the arts and an advocate of an all-rounded approach to music education, she believes in honouring the unique capabilities of each individual. She values her own self-development as a person and musician, and is committed to working with students of all ages to develop their confidence, creativity, and musicality, so they can cultivate a love for learning, music, and the arts.

Some personal thoughts on being a song accompanist:

An often misunderstood profession, the accompanist is sometimes perceived as the frustrated musician or the failed soloist. Traditionally left out of the limelight, the accompanist's name sometimes appears in smaller print in concert programming, marketing and reviews; the quintessential image conjured in one's mind is that of the unassuming figure in the background, literally behind the singer donned in a glamorous gown. Within the hierarchy of musicians, a commonplace perception exists where the solo concert pianist remains at the apex, with his colossal 45 minute concertos or 2 hour long virtuosic recital programs all at his finger tips, performed by heart.

It would not be too far-fetched to suggest that the idea of a vocal accompanist not having to play very challenging or musically demanding literature is still a persistent one, due to the status of the Lied being a miniature and historically domestic genre associated with the feminine and the domestic space. After all, a Lied recital can comprise of a patchwork of about 30 different miniature modest offerings, paling in comparison to a substantial multi-movement instrumental sonata. Does this diminutive form render the Lied pianist any less competent or skilful? Robert Vignoles provocatively challenges this notion of the playing the Lied repertoire as a walk in the park: "why fracture your wrist by practicing Liszt when you can do it with Erlkoenig"?

My personal love affair with Lieder started in Singapore nearly 20 years ago, at a Bryn Terfel song recital at the Victoria Concert Hall, which left me enraptured over this genre and the incredible possibilities brought about by the fusion of music and text. Many years later as a student at the Mozarteum, I found myself delving deeper into the song repertoire, which will always remain a lifetime commitment and exploration of mine. I have learned how to be more adaptable and responsive as a musician and I have benefitted immeasurably from the insights shared by my singing partners and the vocal professors whose classes I accompanied

After a decade of living in Salzburg, I look forward to contributing to Singapore’s music and vocal scene, and to be an active participant as a pianist in this dynamic process of music-making, where one has to make split-second decisions and constantly react to the intricacies of timing. Opera has always riveted my imagination and I hope to be always connected to it through a multitude of ways; as a pianist playing transcriptions on the piano, as a speaker or educator for pre-concert talks, school and educational outreach programmes so as to inspire and intrigue younger generations, or as a scribe who can retell and transcribe mesmerising tales from this wonderful genre.

Fees

I work with instrumentalists and singers (who wish to prepare for performances, competitions, auditions and graded music examinations). Fees are negotiable, depending on the nature and duration of the collaborative assignment.

Instruments

Piano

Specialisms

Instrumental Accompaniment, Vocal Accompaniment, Vocal Repetiteur

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