Hamburg’s New Opera House: Cultural Renaissance or Real Estate Ambition?

Recently the city of Hamburg announced plans for a brand-new opera house—not on Dammtorstraße in the historic district of Gänsemarkt, where the historic Staatsoper stands, but in the upscale HafenCity district. Funded by billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne’s foundation, owned by the Hamburg-born billionaire in international cargo industry, the project promises a world-class cultural venue. Yet beyond the promise of artistic renewal, {…}

Jan 7, 2025

German Billionaire Makes Massive Investment Into New Hamburg Opera House

German Billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne has pledged €300 million euros for the construction of a new opera house. According to reports, there is a plot of land on Baakenhöft in Hafencity that the city has made available for the construction of the new house and the project is already “well advanced” and only dependent on bureaucratic requirements. In a statement, Hamburg’s {…}

Dec 19, 2024

Benjamin Appl Begins Residency at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

In Jan. 2025, baritone Benjamin Appl will begin his Artist in Residence position with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Appl’s residency kicks off with his conducting debut in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Continuing on in the season, Appl will perform with Ensemble 10:10 and release his new album, “To Dieter: The Past and Future.” Closing out his residency in {…}

May 15, 2023

Layla Claire & Randall Scotting to Headline World Premiere of Hamburg State Opera’s ‘Venere e Adone’

(Photo by: Lisa-Marie-Mazzucco) The Hamburg Staatsoper will present the world premiere of the new opera “Venere e Adone” by Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino from May 28 to June 8, 2023. The opera will star countertenor Randall Scotting, Layla Claire, Cody Quattlebaum, Matthias Klink, Evan Hughes, Vera Talerko, Nicholas Mogg, and Kady Evanyshyn. Kent Nagano conducts the production directed by Georges {…}

May 5, 2023

Hamburg State Opera Announces Conductor Change for ‘Carmen’

The Hamburg State Opera has made a conductor change for its May 27 performance of “Carmen.” The production will now feature William Kelley in his company debut. He will lead a cast starring Maria Kataeva, Gaunqun Yu, Marcelo Puente, and Alexander Vinogradov. William Kelley, a conductor and pianist, currently serves as the Kapellmeister at Theater Bremen. During his tenure, he {…}

Mar 11, 2023

Public Workers’ Strike Forces Hamburg State Opera to Cancel Premiere of ‘Il Trittico’

The Hamburg State Opera has postponed the Mar. 12, 2023, B premiere of Puccini’s “Il Trittico” because of a strike by the public service workers’ union ver.di. The strike means there may not be enough staff to clean up after the show. The strikes announced by ver.di have affected the premiere of “Il Trittico” on Sunday, March 12, 2023. After {…}

Feb 25, 2023

Omer Meir Wellber to Become Hamburg Staatsoper General Music Director and Chief Conductor

Omer Meir Wellber will become Hamburg Staatsoper‘s General Music Director and Chief Conductor of Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra, beginning with the 2025-26 season, and will succeed Kent Nagano. Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media while introducing Wellber at City Hall, said, “With Omer Meir Wellber, we have been able to win an outstanding artistic personality for the cultural city {…}

May 20, 2021

Hamburg State Opera Announces Reopening on May 28

The Hamburg State Opera will reopen on May 28 with two productions. Georges Delnon and John Neumeier announced that the company will premiere a new production of Handel’s “Agrippina” staged by Barrie Kosky. Riccardo Minasi will conduct a cast that includes Anna Bonitatibus, Luca Tittoto, Julia Lezhneva, Christophe Dumaux, Franco Fagioli, Renato Dolcini, Vasily Khoroshev, and Chao Deng. The Ensemble {…}

Apr 15, 2020

Germany Extends Lockdown Until May 3

Chancellor Angela Merkel has extended Germany’s lockdown until May 3 as a result of the coronavirus. Merkel announced in a video that Germany would maintain restrictions and would slowly open non-essential businesses after May 3. However, theaters and sporting events would be banned until August 31, 2020 due to the high risk these venues pose. The new restrictions will undoubtedly {…}

Feb 10, 2020

Roberto Alagna, Venera Gimadieva & Alice Coote Headline Hamburg State Opera’s 2020-21 Season

Article in collaboration with Dejan Vukosavljevic The Hamburg State Opera has announced its 2020-21 season featuring six new productions and a number of revivals. Here is a look at the season. Oper Stabile Penderbayne’s “Unser kleines Scheißkaff” will be performed by Larissa Wäspy, Kady Evanyshyn, Ida Aldrian, Nicholas Mogg, Hubert Kowalczyk, Peter Galliard, and Katja Pieweck. Ingmar Beck conducts the {…}

Aug 23, 2019

Obituary: Baritone Jan Buchwald Passes Away At 45

The Staatsoper Hamburg has announced the death of baritone Jan Buchwald. He was 45. Buchwald was born in Solingen in 1974. According to Musik Heute, the baritone studied with teachers including Carl-Heinz Müller, Klesie Kelly, and Alois Orth before making his opera debut in Britten’s “Billy Budd” at the Niedersächsischen Staatstheater Hannover. From fall of 2000 to the summer of {…}