The Salzburg Festival has announced the three finalists for the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award 2023. Chaired by Manfred Honeck, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the jury chose eight candidates (two female, six male) in February as semi-finalists for the eleventh edition of the renowned competition, which takes place every two years. This year, there were 323 {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced the lineup for their 2023 youth program, “jung & jede*r”. Running from March 24 to August 28, 2023, the program will feature 53 performances for children and teenagers across 20 venues. Among the highlights are the following: Maurice Ravel’s “Das Kind und die Zauberdinge (L’Enfant et les sortilèges)” This new production will be held at {…}
Photo: Peter Rigaud A reported shift in the leadership responsibilities of the Salzburg Festival has removed Festival President Kristina Hammer from dealing with the press and media. After assuming Hammer’s responsibilities in these areas, Director Markus Hinterhäuser is now the Festival’s primary public representative. Hammer will focus on external representation and sponsor search. The move, however, is in keeping with {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2023 season featuring operas, concerts, recitals, and Mozart programs. Opera Raphaël Pichon will conduct Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” in a new production by Martin Kušej. Andrè Schuen, Adriana González, Sabine Devieilhe, Krzysztof Bączyk, and Lea Desandre star. Performance Dates: July 27-August 28, 2023 Verdi’s “Macbeth” will be conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and directed {…}
On Nov. 28, 2022, a model lawsuit was filed against the Salzburg Festival at the Arbeits und Sozialgericht in Vienna, Austria. Per a press statement issued by Austrian tenor and activist Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, “The lawsuit in its core is about the ‘letter of commitment’ that the Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus has issued over decades. The real {…}
The Salzburg Festival has released a statement denying the allegations that workers were unpaid for their work. The Festival said, “the Salzburg Festival denies the accusations levied by Mr. Ablinger-Sperrhacke, among others, in the press release dated November 11, 2022. The facts are as follows: the Salzburg Festival was the only major festival in the world to take place in {…}
Things are not looking great in Salzburg after several artists seemingly announced their intention to bring legal action against the Salzburg Festival. According to Platea Magazine and Der Standard, lawyer George Strait made the announcement during a press conference in Vienna stating that he would file a legal complaint on behalf of several artists for the lack of payment to {…}
Audi will remain one of the main sponsors of the Salzburg Festival until 2027, continuing a partnership that goes back as far as 1995. “Both partners are delighted that our cooperation agreement has been extended today through 2027. Sponsors such as Audi guarantee diverse and high-carat program at the Salzburg Festival, as they ensure that the Festival has the necessary {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced a donation of 100,000 euros to a number of charities. Among those organizations that will be beneficiaries of this donation are “Doctors Without Borders” and “ORF Nachbar in Not,” both of which will receive 35,000 euros each. “Caritas Salzburg” will get 20,000 and “Promente Salzburg” will be the recipient of 10,000. “The Salzburg Festival wants {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of Verdi’s “Aida.” The company noted that Anita Rachvelishvili has canceled her participation in the role of Amneris and will be replaced by Ève-Maud Hubeaux. Hubeaux is a well-known mezzo-soprano who has performed at the Baden-Baden Festival, Paris Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Berliner Staatsoper, Savonlinna Festival, Theater Basel, and Opéra de {…}
Credit: Franz Neumayr The Uniqa Insurance Group AG (UNIQA) and Raiffeisen along with the Würth Group have announced support for the Salzburg Festival’s Youth Program 2022. The Festival’s President Dr. Kristina Hammer, shares the importance of the arts for children and young people by saying, “So far, children and teenagers have suffered most from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic; {…}