Ljiljana Winkler (MA) is a singer, music therapist and university lecturer for singing and vocal psychotherapy at the University Augsburg.
Winkler has received numerous prizes and scholarships, including the music award of the „Märkische Kulturkonferenz“ for extraordinary vocal and musical talent, as well as the 1st prize in the national competition for singing Bosnia-Herzegovina, the promotional award of the Bosnian government for special talents and the 1st prize in the singing competition Lazar Jovanovic Serbia. She was also a fellow of the Dame Felicity Lott Foundation and the Ardingly International Music School Foundation in the UK. She received the Richard Wagner Prize (Bayreuth) and the Claudia Mayer Scholarship (Saarbrücken).
More recently, Winkler was awarded the DAAD Prize from the University Augsburg for her outstanding achievements, and her therapeutic method with traumatized people. Her aproach uses structured singing exercises and vocal improvisation to encounter the voicelessness which often befalls individuals who have experienced trauma. In vocal music therapy the voice, the breathing and the body is used specifically to process the negative vocal-physical-mental experiences of traumatized clients in a safe space and to build up resources to come to terms with them.
„Vocal music therapy can provide professional support for traumatized people who have the courage to process deep-seated psycho-physiological traumas through the development of their singing voice„.
(Univ. Prof. Dr. sc. mus. habil. Susanne Metzner in Laudiatio for Winkler L.).
Winkler’s artistic range spans from early music to contemporary classical works and on to popular music jazz and jazz crossover. Her concert activities in the field of traditional songs as well as chamber music ensembles round off her artistic activities. She performs in concerts with pianists Prof. Claude France Journes, Nina Buchman and Stephanie Knauer, as well as with Guitarist Prof. Takeo Sato.
Winkler is a sought-after performer of contemporary music. She performed the role of Tii in Moritz Eggerts „Kammander Kobayashi“ at the Saaarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken. She sang the role of the king’s daughter in the Wolfgang Mitterers Opera „Das tapfere Schneiderlein“ at Theatre National du Luxembourg.
She embodied the leading role in Stravinsky’s opera „The Nightingale“ on the open air stage of the Chamber Opera in Konstanz. At the Opera Factory in Freiburg she was engaged for the roles of Ms. Bittermandel and Ms. Knochen from the opera „Drei Rätsel“ by Detlev Glanert, as well as for the role of Bettine from the opera „Kein Ort Niergends“ by Anno Schreier.
She was appointed by Peter Michael von der Nahmer for the world premiere of the stage play „Laybyrinth“ for soprano and orchestra. At the research colloquium Klang / Sprache 2018, Winkler interpreted Marc Neufeld’s contemporary works at the Leopold- Mozart- Zentrum in Augsburg.
Opera and operetta engagements led Winkler to the open air stage of „Wiener Operettensommer“, where she sang the role of Mi in Franz Lehar’s „Das Land des Lächelns“ in Vienna. At the Neuburg City Theater, she embodied the role of Lucie from the opera „Eifersucht“ by Sophie Gail and the role of Marianna Gardi in Adolphe Adams „So ein Glück!“
Her other roles include: Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze die Figaro / Mozart), Rosina (La Finta Semplice / Mozart) Pamina, (Zauberflöte / Mozart) Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro / Mozart), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the screw / Britten), Magda Sorel (The Consul / Menotti), Solvejg (Peer Gynt / Grieg), Norina (Don Pasquale / Donizetti), Musetta (La Boheme / Puccini), Marguerite (Faust / Gounod), Nedda (Pagliaci / Leocavallo).
In addition to her opera engagements, song and concert singing form an equally important focus of her work and she has performed at numerous concerts and festivals in Germany and abroad. Her debut CD „Frauenliebe – und – Leben“, piano accompanied by Prof. Claude France Journes was released in 2016 by Bahkti Verlag.
The lively concert activity led Winkler to an artistic collaboration with conductors such as Christian Polack, Alexander Mayer, André Walschaerts, Jonathan Kaell, Klaus Simon, Carolin Nordmayer, Rudolf Pielmayer and directors, among others. a. Aurelia Eggerts, Jay Scheib and Joachim Rathke.
Winkler is a lecturer in singing at the University of Augsburg since 2013. In 2018 she was appointed for an masters in the subject of voice training and vocal music therapy at the Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum. Since 2018 she has been a lecturer in music therapy at the vocational school for speech therapy in Augsburg.
Ljiljana Winkler (MA) completed her singing studies with distinction at the University of Music Belgrade (2005), in the class of Prof. Radmila Smiljanic and at the University of Music Saarbrücken with Prof. Yaron Windmüller (2010). In addition, she studied song interpretation with Prof. Irwin Gage and interpretation of contemporary music with Dr. Stephan Litwin at the Saar University of Music. She participated in master classes and received lessons from Barbara Bonney, Leandra Overmann, Sona Ghazarian, Ileana Cotrubas, Rudolf Piernay, Ingrid Kremling, Dietrich Schneider, and Sally du Randt.
In 2018, she also completed the research-oriented master’s program in music therapy at the Leopold Mozart-Zentrum in Augsburg.
Originally from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Winkler has been based in Germany since 2005.