About

Ilana Walder-Biesanz
Munich, Germany

Bio: I am a current Fulbright student scholar researching theatre and opera studies in Munich, Germany. I also plan to visit (and blog about) lots of other cities in Europe, particularly those with good theatre, opera, or dance scenes. Formerly, I earned my M.Phil. in European Literature at the University of Cambridge (as a Gates-Cambridge Scholar) and my B.S. in Systems Engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. I also spent a few summers as a Program Manager for Microsoft, designing tools for the Office team. In my spare time, I act, sing in operas, and dance in historical attire. I belong in the nineteenth century and take every possible opportunity to pretend I’m actually there.

Blog: This blog includes theatre and opera reviews; chronicles of my travels; and musings about food, language, and life in Germany. It’s my ‘season’ in Germany in the sense of a theatre or opera season (not to be confused with ‘season’ in the sense of a quarter of the year bookmarked by an equinox and a solstice, or with the social ‘season,’ which I hope to spend a good portion of in Vienna).

Elsewhere online: My personal website is the best place to stalk me, and it includes handy links to all of my social media and to most of my writing.  Most of my opera-related writing outside of this blog consists of articles for the magazine Opera21 and opera reviews for the site Bachtrack.

Disclaimer: Please note that while this blog chronicles my adventures during my Fulbright year, this is not an official Department of State website or blog. The views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.