Garrett Keast
Garrett Keast is a Berlin-based conductor known for his musical depth, stylistic versatility, and ability to connect with both musicians and audiences. As Founder and Chief Conductor of the Berlin Academy of American Music (BAAM), he has established the ensemble as a distinctive and internationally recognized voice, dedicated to presenting American and American-inspired repertoire with fresh perspective.
After beginning his career as Associate Conductor of New York City Opera, Keast quickly built a broad international profile, leading performances at major opera houses and concert venues including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, BOZAR Brussels, Staatsoper Hamburg, and Seoul Arts Center. He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and the Copenhagen Philharmonic.
Equally at home in the concert hall and opera house, his repertoire spans from core symphonic works by Brahms, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky to contemporary voices including Missy Mazzoli, Unsuk Chin, and Avner Dorman. His interpretations have been praised for their refinement, clarity, and expressive sensitivity.
A passionate advocate for American music, Keast is committed to creating programmes that foster dialogue across cultures and generations. Through his work with BAAM and his international engagements, he continues to build artistic bridges and bring new perspectives to audiences worldwide.
He goes beyond just music; he strives to create an atmosphere and evoke feelings in the listener.
-Opernnetz, Oper Bonn
Kim Meyer
Kim Meyer is a Berlin-based director, musician, and Artistic Director of Momentbühne Berlin, known for cross-cultural work connecting European and African musical traditions.
Trained in contemporary dance and voice at the Performing Arts Studios Munich, she worked as Assistant Director at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz from 2019 to 2022, where she co-directed Mozart muss sterben and directed Humperdinck’s Dornröschen. Her initiatives Kultur auf Rädern and Opera Namibia led to a Tassilo Prize nomination and the Theatre Scholarship of the City of Munich in 2023.
A close collaborator of Jetske Mijnssen, Meyer has led revivals at major opera houses including Dutch National Opera, the Royal Danish Opera, Palau de les Arts Valencia, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and Teatro di San Carlo Naples.
As founder of Momentbühne Berlin, she initiated and directed Eslon Hindundu’s Chief Hijangua — Namibia’s first opera — premiering in Windhoek in 2022 and later presented in Berlin, including at the Humboldt Forum.
In 2025, she directed and produced People of Song in Windhoek, Berlin, and Bremen. Her work focuses on cultural exchange, historical reflection, and new approaches to operatic form.
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Selina J. Droehmer
Selina Droehmer is a Berlin-based cultural manager working across classical music, opera, and artistic production, with a focus on Baroque and Early Music, contemporary classical repertoire, and American music.
As Managing Director of the Berlin Academy of American Music, she helps shape one of the city’s youngest internationally oriented concert institutions. She also serves on the board of Music Crossroads International e.V. and works in the Artistic Office of the Musikfestspiele Sanssouci und Nikolaisaal Potsdam, where she is responsible for the production of the festival’s Bicycle Concerts.
Trained at the Stiftung Oper in Berlin, Droehmer has worked with institutions including the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, RIAS Kammerchor, Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, and Komische Oper Berlin, contributing to productions by Tobias Kratzer, Barrie Kosky, Kirill Serebrennikov, and Dagmar Manzel.
Her festival work includes productions at the Musikfestspiele Sanssouci and collaborations with the Hans Otto Theater and Kammerakademie Potsdam. She is also involved with the Shalom Music Festival and is an active member of Juvenilia – European Network of Young Opera Friends.
With a background in economics and a degree in Cultural Management, Droehmer has specialised in public procurement and copyright law. Trained in classical ballet and a pianist since childhood, she combines artistic understanding with organisational and legal expertise. Working in German, English, French, Spanish, and Italian, her international outlook shapes a practice centred on connecting artistic vision with institutional reality.
Friends and Supporters
Dr. Markus Baum - Dr. Baum GmbH & Co. KG
Dr. David de Bjaouix - Business Liaison, Orchestra Touring, Travel Designer
Bettina Brand - Ursula Mamlok Foundation
Jonathan Dawe - Composer, Juilliard School of Music
Avner Dorman - Composer
Christoph Eschenbach - Conductor, Pianist
Michael Fine - Grammy award-winning record producer
Joel Hunter - Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Dudana Mazmanishvili - Pianist and Georgian cultural attaché
Boris Matchin - Geschäftsführender Gesellschafter TONALi, Hamburg
David Mees - Former cultural attaché, US Department of State
Howard Pollack - Author, John & Rebecca Moores Professor of Music at the University of Houston
Christian Reichart - Dramaturg
Stefan Schneider - Generalkonsulat, Los Angeles - Deustches Generalkonsulat
Nadine Secunde - American mezzo-soprano
David Skudlik - Co-Founder & CEO Sforzato
Amadeus Templeton - Geschäftsführender Gesellschafter TONALi, Hamburg
Augusta Read Thomas - Composer, Prof. at the University of Chicago, Director, Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition
Hannes Tronsberg - CEO Future Demand
Yezu Woo - Violinist