Christian Thielemann and Elisabeth Sobotka extend Berlin Staatsoper contracts to 2034

The General Music Director and Artistic Director will remain at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden until 31 July 2034, extending the partnership they began in September 2024.

Christian Thielemann and Elisabeth Sobotka have extended their contracts as General Music Director and Artistic Director of Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden until 31 July 2034.

The Berlin Opera Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved both renewals on 8 October 2026. The contracts were signed on 14 October by Berlin’s Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, Stefan Evers, alongside Sobotka and Thielemann, in the presence of Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and Media, Wolfram Weimer.

Both leaders took up their posts on 1 September 2024. The agreement secures their partnership through the 2033/34 season, a decade after its launch. Berlin’s culture administration described the renewals as a means of retaining two internationally recognised figures central to the city’s cultural standing.

Sobotka said the continuity would allow the company to build on the strong start to her collaboration with Thielemann. The conductor welcomed the opportunity to continue working with her and the Staatskapelle Berlin, highlighting plans both to cultivate the core repertoire and to explore new works.

A partnership established in 2024

Thielemann succeeded Daniel Barenboim as General Music Director, taking responsibility for the musical direction of both the opera house and the Staatskapelle Berlin. His earlier positions included chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival and Music Director of the Bayreuth Festival.

For Sobotka, the appointment marked a return to the institution where she had served as opera director from 2002 to 2007. Before taking over its artistic leadership, she led Graz Opera and subsequently the Bregenz Festival, where she was Artistic Director from 2015 to 2024.