Dear friends,
for family reasons, I am forced to cancel my participation in the production of Verdi’s “La forza del Destino”, which will open the Teatro alla Scala’s 2024/25 season on December 7th. I have already had the privilege of attending this extraordinary Italian cultural event several times, so I am all the more sorry to miss this special event, and to disappoint the audience and my colleagues this time. Nevertheless, I hope for your understanding – especially in a country where family is still very important.
Jonas Kaufmann
Artistic Director in Erl
Jonas Kaufmann will take over as artistic director of the Erl Festival in Austria; he will succeed Bernd Loebe in September 2024. As Hans Peter Haselsteiner, President of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl (photo), announced at a press conference on 2 June in Vienna, Kaufmann prevailed over 42 other applicants.
With his vision, enthusiasm, personality and his stage experience, he convinced the appointment committee, which also included Lotte de Beer (director of the Vienna Volksoper) and Bogdan Roscic (director of the Vienna State Opera), and was chosen by them as "primus et unicus" for the appointment.
Jonas Kaufmann will usher in a new era for the Erl Festival, explained Andrea Mayer, State Secretary for the Arts and Culture. To have him "as the new artistic director of the Erl Festival is an extraordinary honour and reflects the festival's aspiration: international charisma and at the same time honoring the culture and history in the region."
As Kaufmann said at the press conference, his new task is by no means "a first step towards the singer's early retirement. I don't feel that I should retire, and I don't want to. I'm a person who likes to work a lot, so now I have another hobbyhorse to work on without having to be on stage every day."
To watch the recording of the press conference, click here.
