CENTER STAGE IN BERLIN

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July 31, 2026

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

At just 13, Notre Dame Prep’s Yana Riegel is proving that talent, hard work and confidence can carry a young performer from Michigan to one of Europe’s great opera stages.

When most middle school students think back on their summer, they remember vacations, camps or time with friends.

Notre Dame Prep rising eighth-grader Yana Riegel will return home with something few young singers ever experience: performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro) with the Berlin Opera Academy in Germany.

The opportunity placed the 13-year-old alongside singers from around the world.

“I honestly thought I would not be accepted because I’m only 13,” Riegel said. “I thought they might just give me feedback and tell me to apply again in a few years.”

Instead, she received an invitation this past spring to join the academy’s summer production.

“I was super excited,” she said. “But I was also really nervous.”

Music has been part of Riegel's life since she began voice lessons at age 5. Opera entered the picture two years ago when she joined the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus. There, rehearsals go beyond learning music. Students study music theory, sight singing and vocal technique.

“The vocal techniques are very different from musical theater,” she said. “I enjoy the challenge and the beautiful sound of opera.”

Before traveling to Germany, Riegel had already performed in two youth productions at the Detroit Opera House, including J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” in May, an experience she said she will never forget.

“I had some lines, so I got to use a microphone, and I was one of the lead characters,” she said. “That made me feel really special.”

She also discovered what it feels like to work in a professional opera company.

“Everyone treats us like real performers,” Riegel said. “We have the makeup team, stage managers, directors, lights — everyone works together to make the show happen. They don’t treat us like little kids.”

Preparing for Berlin demanded months of work. Along with learning her role in “The Marriage of Figaro,” Riegel studied music in four languages, including German, Italian, English and Latin.

“It’s a lot of work,” she said. “But I love learning music in different languages and styles.”

Balancing rehearsals with school often requires careful planning. During the final week before a Detroit Opera production, evenings were filled with four-hour rehearsals, leaving homework to be completed during car rides between Notre Dame Prep and downtown Detroit.

“I learned that if I wanted to keep up with everything, I had to use all my spare time wisely,” she said. “It taught me discipline, responsibility and time management.”

Riegel credits programs like The Amazing Shake and performing in NDP’s theatre productions with helping prepare her for opportunities like Berlin. She also says the school has given her the confidence to perform in front of audiences.

“Notre Dame Prep helped me become more independent and responsible, but also reminded me to never stop being creative,” she said. “It helped me build my confidence little by little.”

The Berlin Opera Academy marked another milestone in a musical journey that began with voice lessons as a kindergartener and has already carried Riegel from the Detroit Opera House to an international stage. At just 13 years old, she’s proving that talent, preparation and perseverance can open doors far beyond the classroom.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.