Claudia Stefke-Leuser

Claudia Stefke-Leuser serves as a Lecturer in singing at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart since 2003, while maintaining an active career as a certified vocal teacher and breathwork therapist specializing in the Ilse Middendorf® method.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Formal vocal studies at HMDK Stuttgart under Sylvia Geszty, Luisa Bosabalian, and Carl Davis
• Advanced training in Konrad Richter's song class and Ernst Poettgen/Kathrin Prick's opera school
• Master classes with Ileana Cotrubas, James King, Julia Hamari, and Margreet Honig
• 5-year certification as a breathing pedagogue from the Ilse Middendorf Institute (2020)

Stefke-Leuser's pedagogical approach integrates vocal performance with breath-body awareness, developing methodologies that enhance singers' expressiveness through physiological and psychological alignment. Her work bridges classical technique with holistic somatic practices, emphasizing how conscious breathing patterns directly influence vocal production and artistic interpretation in both opera and concert contexts.

Her professional recognition includes:

• First prize at the VDMK Baden-Württemberg Competition (Opera/Operetta)
• Finalist standing in Hamburg's Robert Stolz Competition

She mentors emerging artists through her Erdmannhausen studio, the International Opera Workshop Waiblingen (collaborating with Thomas Hampson and Melanie Diener), and masterclasses with Margreet Honig across Stuttgart, Amsterdam, and Austria's Schloss Weinberg. Her two-decade tenure at HMDK Stuttgart demonstrates sustained institutional commitment to vocal arts education.