"Young Leadership Program"

• Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the Bavarian State Opera continue their collaboration with a new initiative
• "Young Leadership Program" introduces tomorrow's managers to the challenges of a modern arts business
• The initiative will be managed by future Music Director Kent Nagano and begins in September with the start of the 2006/07 season

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the Bavarian State Opera (Bayerische Staatsoper) are offering up-and-coming executives a unique insight into the problems of managing a major arts business. This initiative, called the "Young Leadership Program", represents another step in a long-running partnership between the international consultancy and the renowned opera house. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants will again be partnering and helping to finance this year's Festspiel+, the experimental series accompanying the main opera program.

"We'd like to see more direct and active communication between the arts and business worlds. That's why we have developed the Young Leadership Program in partnership with the Bavarian State Opera," says Thomas Eichelmann, who oversees human resources and is a member of the worldwide Executive Committee at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. Through this initiative, the young executives will learn about the special demands of an opera house and expand their management know-how.

The program includes four workshops that examine topics such as strategies for the opera business, the importance of thinking outside the box, crisis management in the opera, and management tools for musical theater. The participants will also engage in a mini consultancy project requiring them to apply their expertise to add value to the opera house. They will find out about the specific management challenges of running an arts business by interacting with managers and artistic directors at the Bavarian State Opera.

Professional development of tomorrow's managers

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the Bavarian State Opera want to use this program not only to prepare young managers for their future challenges, but also to generate real benefits for all the businesses involved in the project. "Another important aspect for us is networking. The Young Leadership Program should establish a network for the long term, so that participants will go on to cultivate a special relationship with the opera house," Eichelmann explains.

Another benefit lies in its wider educational impact. The Young Leadership Program is intended to raise cultural and social awareness among young managers. For years now, companies have been strengthening their social and cultural commitment. People are needed who see art and culture as a central pillar of our society and personally "live" this commitment to the arts.

The opera house as a business

As one of Germany's leading institutions with great international prestige, the Bavarian State Opera is well suited to this initiative. Not only does it offer artistic performance at the highest level, it is also a successful business. Its managers have to manage difficult and complex processes. "Despite all their differences, opera and consultancy have one thing in common," says Eichelmann. "That is the need for perfect mastery of your trade. You have to work with extreme precision and professional excellence, while combining this with a large dose of creativity."

The Young Leadership Program begins in September with the start of the 2006/07 opera season. It will be managed by the future Music Director Kent Nagano. In fact, Maestro Nagano will personally contribute to one of the workshops. In the next few weeks, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the Bavarian State Opera will jointly approach companies in order to select around 20 candidates for the program.