Bayerische Staatsoper

Tradition, innovation and an impressive repertoire: these are the solid pillars supporting the Bayerische Staatsoper — one of the world’s leading opera houses. It can look back proudly on a cultural history of over 350 years.

Thanks to a court tradition, opera found a home in Munich in 1653; since then, its music-historical and sociopolitical development has continued in a way unparalleled anywhere else, worldwide. The Bayerische Staatsoper, with some 600,000 people attending its over 400 performances each year, makes a major contribution to Munich’s reputation as one of the great international cultural capitals. In the course of a single season, over 45 operas from four centuries are performed along with ballets, concerts and song recitals. This makes the program of the Bayerische Staatsoper one of the most richly varied performance schedules of all the international opera houses. With 2,101 seats, the Bayerische Staatsoper’s principal performance venue, the National Theatre – built in classicistic style in 1818 – is the largest opera house in Germany and ranks as one of the handsomest theatres in the world.

Since 1875, the Bayerische Staatsoper has put on the Munich Opera Festival, the annual highlight of Munich’s cultural summer. This makes it the oldest festival of its kind. During its five-week run, people from all over the world have the opportunity to enjoy a wide-ranging repertoire of operas — among them festival premieres and the newest productions. A comprehensive program of ballet, concerts, song recitals and visual art rounds off the Munich Opera Festival schedule.

The children and youth program Kids & Co provides a vast variety of formats especially for a younger audience, ranging from guided tours, concerts and workshops for children to special classes and opera performances for schools, as well as educational and artistic projects that involve children from all backgrounds.

The Opera Studio, a two-year training program, prepares young singers for a career in opera. Recent graduates of the Opera Studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper include Xenia Puskarz-Thomas and Freddie De Tommaso.

For more information on the International Friends Program, please contact:

Olivia Wörndl
Head of Development
olivia.woerndl@staatsoper.de