(Credit: Courtesy of the Bayreuth Festival)

The Bayreuth Festival has found a new Chorus director.

The company said that, “After an intensive search and numerous discussions with potential candidates, the Bayreuth Festival announces that Thomas Eitler – de Lint will become the new Director of the Bayreuth Festival Chorus, succeeding Eberhard Friedrich, who will reach retirement age in 2025.”

Eitler – de Lint has held positions at the Wiener Volksoper, the National Opera in Amsterdam, WDR, NDR, MDR, the Opernhaus Zürich, and Hanover opera houses. In 2016, he was guest choir director at the Shanghai Opera. A year later, he became the chorus director at Leipzig Opera where he has led such productions as “Tosca,” “Carmen,” “La Fanciulla del West” and “La Traviata” among others. His experience with Wagner’s music was showcased at WAGNER 22, the Wagner Festival of the Leipzig Opera, where he was responsible for rehearsing Richard Wagner’s operas with choral participation.

In his new position at Bayreuth, Eitler-de Lint agreed to create a new structure that would fully meet the high demands of the Festival in terms of both quantity and quality.

The news comes a few days after Friedrich resigned from his position due to budget cuts.

The 2024 Bayreuth Festival is set to end on August 27, 2024.