New Leadership Team Announced by Salzburg Festival
Following a meeting of the Salzburg Festival’s Supervisory Board on 25 September it has been announced that Markus Hinterhäuser will be the Salzburg Festival’s new Artistic Director and that the contract of Festival President Dr. Helga Rabl-Stadler has been extended for another three years. Markus Hinterhäuser’s contract will run from 1 October 2016 for five years, until 30 September, 2021. Dr. Rabl-Stadler’s contract has been extended until 1 October, 2017
The current Artistic Director, of the Festival, Alexander Pereira, will take up a position at La Scala in Milan after the 2014 season. During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Sven-Eric Bechtolf and President Rabl-Stadler will join forces at the helm of the Festival, taking over responsibility for the overall artistic planning from 1 October, 2014.
Andrea Ecker of the Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture, who chairs the Festival’s Supervisory Board, said that the decisive reasons for Hinterhäuser’s appointment were the special connection that he enjoys with Salzburg, ensuring a long-term perspective, as well as his double competency and authority as an internationally acclaimed artist and experienced arts and culture manager with a high capacity for innovation. Furthermore, the artistic concept presented by Hinterhäuser was convincing, guaranteeing a high-quality programmatic orientation of the Festival.
“This is a very beautiful and moving moment for me,” Hinterhäuser commented upon his appointment: “It is a great and important mission for me, because I am very attached to the Festival and my life has been influenced profoundly by Salzburg and the Festival.” Asked about the Festival’s future development, he declared that one thing he could say for certain was that there would be fewer events, since the limit of feasibility had been reached internally and externally. A profound analysis of the Festival’s expansion during the past two years will form the basis for future decisions. He explained that on the one hand, he considers the profound exploration of Mozart’s oeuvre very important. This, however, also demands the courage to blaze new trails. “My handwriting is known in Salzburg, and I will not change it fundamentally,” said Hinterhäuser
Festival President Rabl-Stadler spoke of an historic situation at the Festival, since the coming years will be marked by the work of three Artistic Directors. “This situation is definitely challenging. However, I am looking forward to supporting the three Artistic Directors in realising what they consider necessary. I have the necessary energy and enjoyment of the Festival,” said Dr Rabl-Stadler.