In addition to opera, song and oratorio, bass-baritone Harald Hieronymus Hein places a special focus on contemporary music, in which he has established himself as an internationally sought-after interpreter. The versatile artist combines his wide vocal colour spectrum with an expressive physicality. He has performed at the Bregenz Festival, Wien Modern, Munich Biennale, New Opera Days Ostrava, Copenhagen Opera Festival, Barbican Centre London, Mozartfest Würzburg, Oper Graz, Oper Frankfurt, Staatstheater Darmstadt and Staatstheater Mainz, among others. He has worked with renowned institutions such as Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, Mahogany Opera Company, Plural Ensemble, UMZE Ensemble, Oblivia, Riot Ensemble and Neue Oper Wien.

"In traditional education, everyone is perfected in their own discipline. In order to get into the labour market immediately after graduation, you focus on fitting into a box. As a young singer, you are more concerned with finding your vocal specialism than your true artistic identity. Contemporary music theatre is all about breaking boundaries and being out of the box. I hope that the symposium will help me to discover ways in which artists can strike a balance between focussing on the craft of their own discipline and having the courage to step outside the box."