"I will be conducting research in the German Music Archive in Berlin on the reinterpretation of German operas, especially those by Mozart and Wagner, in East Berlin," said Kupfer.
"On a personal level, the scholarship will allow me to pursue one of my own favorite interests in the perfect setting," he said.
Despite intense competition for the Fulbright Scholarship, Fellowship Coordinator Denise Gagnon said that Kupfer's proposal stood out because it demonstrated both his strengths and interests. "Peter wrote a very strong proposal, which spoke to both his interest in music and German culture," she said.
Kupfer will study at the Humboldt University in the department of music-sociology. "My research will initially concentrate on the Komische Opera, ... [which] was the main opera house in East Berlin, but I hope to expand it to include other opera houses in the former GDR."
Gagnon said that she is confident in Kupfer's abilities. "He is fluent in German and will be able to navigate through his research in the music-sociology departments at Humboldt University," said Gagnon.
Kupfer said that literature he had read inspired the idea for his proposal. "I was reading some books about music in East Germany and I came upon one article about opera," he said. "And it talked about how certain directors had interpreted works, but it didn't go into any detail, and that's sort of what sparked the whole thing."
Kupfer said that he decided to apply for the grant in September. From there, he had to develop and propose an official project before doing the necessary paperwork.
"In early February, I received word from the [Fulbright] Commission headquarters in New York that my application had been reviewed and that it would be forwarded to Germany for final consideration," Kupfer said. "And then two weeks ago I received a letter from the German Fulbright Commission telling me I had received the award."