Bayreuth Festival 2024

For the first time, there will be more female than male conductors conducting at the Bayreuth Festival

For the first time in the history of the Bayreuth Festival, there will be more female than male conductors in the pit. In 2024, Simone Young will conduct the Ring, stepping in for Philippe Jordan, who unfortunately had to cancel. The lineup for this year also includes Oksana Lyniv, Nathalie Stutzmann, Semyon Bychkov, and Pablo Heras-Casado. With Simone Young, a female conductor will lead the tetralogy in Bayreuth for the first time. Engaging her had been a longstanding aspiration for the artistic director, but prior commitments had prevented an earlier collaboration.

Calendar 2024

(24 July 2024 Festspiel Open Air)
25 July 2024 Tristan und Isolde
26 July 2024 Tannhäuser
27 July 2024 Parsifal
28 July 2024 Das Rheingold
29 July 2024 Die Walküre
(30 July 2024 Festspiel Open Air)
31 July 2024 Siegfried
01 August 2024 Der fliegende Holländer
02 August 2024 Götterdämmerung
03 August 2024 Tristan und Isolde
04 August 2024 Tannhäuser
06 August 2024 Tristan und Isolde
07 August 2024 Parsifal
08 August 2024 Der fliegende Holländer
09 August 2024 Tristan und Isolde
10 August 2024 Parsifal
11 August 2024 Der fliegende Holländer
12 August 2024 Tannhäuser
14 August 2024 Parsifal
15 August 2024 Tristan und Isolde
16 August 2024 Tannhäuser
17 August 2024 Parsifal
18 August 2024 Tristan und Isolde
20 August 2024 Das Rheingold
21 August 2024 Die Walküre
22 August 2024 Tannhäuser
23 August 2024 Siegfried
24 August 2024 Parsifal
25 August 2024 Götterdämmerung
26 August 2024 Tristan und Isolde
27 August 2024 Tannhäuser

Tristan und Isolde

New production of Tristan und Isolde.
Stage director: Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson
Conductor: Semyon Bychkov
Tristan: Andreas Schager
Isolde Camilla Nylund
King Marke Günther Groissböck
Kurwenal Olafur Sigurdarson
Melot Birger Radde
Brangäne Christa Mayer (replacing Ekaterina Gubanova)
Steuermann Lawson Anderson
Junger Seemann Matthew Newlin

Parsifal

Conductor: Pablo Heras-Casado
Director: Jay Scheib
Stage design: Mimi Lien
Costumes: Meentje Nielsen
Video: Joshua Higgason
Chorus master: Eberhard Friedrich

Amfortas: Derek Welton
Titurel: Tobias Kehrer
Gurnemanz: Georg Zeppenfeld
Parsifal: Andreas Schager
Klingsor: Jordan Shanahan
Kundry: Ekaterina Gubanova
1. Gralsritter: Siyabonga Maqungo
2. Gralsritter: Jens-Erik Aasbø
1. Knappe: Betsy Horne
2. Knappe: Margaret Plummer
3. Knappe: Jorge Rodríguez-Norton
4. Knappe: Matthew Newlin
Klingsors Zaubermädchen: Evelin Novak, Catalina Bertucci, Margaret Plummer, Flurina Stucki, Betsy Horne, Marie Henriette Reinhold
Altsolo: Marie Henriette Reinhold

Tannhäuser

Conductor: Nathalie Stutzmann
Director: Tobias Kratzer
Stage design: Rainer Sellmaier
Costumes: Rainer Sellmaier
Light: Reinhard Traub
Video: Manuel Braun
Dramaturgy: Konrad Kuhn
Chorus master: Eberhard Friedrich

Landgraf Hermann: Günther Groissböck
Tannhäuser: Klaus Florian Vogt
Wolfram von Eschenbach: Markus Eiche
Walther von der Vogelweide: Siyabonga Maqungo
Biterolf: Olafur Sigurdarson
Heinrich der Schreiber: Jorge Rodríguez-Norton
Reinmar von Zweter: Jens-Erik Aasbø
Elisabeth: Elisabeth Teige
Venus: Ekaterina Gubanova / Irene Roberts

Ein junger Hirt Julia Grüter
Le Gateau Chocolat Le Gateau Chocolat / Kyle Patrick
Oskar: Manni Laudenbach

Der Ring des Nibelungen

Das Rheingold

Conductor: Simone Young (conductor)
Director: Valentin Schwarz
Designs: Andrea Cozzi
Costumes: Andy Besuch
Dramaturgy: Konrad Kuhn
Lighting: Reinhard Traub / Nicol Hungsberg
Video: Luis August Krawen

Wotan – Tomasz Konieczny
Donner – Nicholas Brownlee
Froh – Mirko Roschkowski
Loge – John Daszak
Fricka – Christa Mayer
Freia – Christina Nilsson
Erda – Okka von der Damerau
Alberich – Olafur Sigurdarson
Mime – Ya-Chung Huang
Fasolt – Jens-Erik Aasbø
Fafner – Tobias Kehrer
Woglinde – Evelin Novak
Wellgunde – Natalia Skrycka
Flosshilde – Marie Henriette Reinhold

Die Walküre

Conductor Simone Young
Director Valentin Schwarz
Stage design Andrea Cozzi
Costumes Andy Besuch
Dramaturgy Konrad Kuhn
Lighting Reinhard Traub / Nicol Hungsberg

Siegmund Michael Spyres
Hunding Georg Zeppenfeld
Wotan Tomasz Konieczny
Sieglinde Vida Miknevičiūtė
Brünnhilde Catherine Foster
Fricka Christa Mayer
Gerhilde Catharine Woodward
Ortlinde Brit-Tone Müllertz
Waltraute Claire Barnett-Jones
Schwertleite Christa Mayer
Helmwige Dorothea Herbert
Siegrune Alexandra Ionis
Grimgerde Marie Henriette Reinhold
Rossweisse Noa Beinart

Siegfried

Conductor Simone Young
Director Valentin Schwarz
Stage design Andrea Cozzi
Costumes Andy Besuch
Dramaturgy Konrad Kuhn
Lighting Reinhard Traub / Nicol Hungsberg

Siegfried Klaus Florian Vogt
Mime Ya-Chung Huang
Der Wanderer Tomasz Konieczny
Alberich Olafur Sigurdarson
Fafner Tobias Kehrer
Erda Okka von der Damerau
Brünnhilde Catherine Foster
Waldvogel Slávka Zámecniková

Götterdämmerung

Conductor Simone Young
Director Valentin Schwarz
Stage design Andrea Cozzi
Costumes Andy Besuch
Dramaturgy Konrad Kuhn
Lighting Reinhard Traub / Nicol Hungsberg
Chorus master: Eberhard Friedrich

Siegfried Klaus Florian Vogt
Gunther Michael Kupfer-Radecky
Alberich Olafur Sigurdarson
Hagen Mika Kares
Brünnhilde Catherine Foster
Gutrune Gabriela Scherer
Waltraute Christa Mayer
1. Norn Noa Beinart
2. Norn Alexandra Ionis
3. Norn Christina Nilsson
Woglinde Evelin Novak
Wellgunde Natalia Skrycka
Flosshilde Marie Henriette Reinhold

Der fliegende Holländer

Conductor Oksana Lyniv
Director Dmitri Tcherniakov
Stage design Dmitri Tcherniakov
Costumes Elena Zaytseva
Lighting Gleb Filshtinsky
Dramaturgy Tatiana Werestchagina
Choral Conducting Eberhard Friedrich

Daland Georg Zeppenfeld
Senta Elisabeth Teige
Erik Eric Cutler
Mary Nadine Weissmann
Der Steuermann Matthew Newlin
Der Holländer Michael Volle

Broadcasts from Bayreuth 2024

The Bayreuth Festival kicks off on July 25th. BR-KLASSIK will broadcast seven opera productions: both on the radio and via video livestream. Here's a detailed schedule of all the performances:

July 25: "Tristan und Isolde"

The festival opens with a new production of "Tristan und Isolde" conducted by Semyon Bychkov and directed by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson, who is making his debut at the Green Hill. Soprano Camilla Nylund (Isolde) and tenor Andreas Schager (Tristan) will play the lead roles.
Broadcast:
Live radio broadcast on all ARD cultural channels at 3:57 PM
Video livestream at 4:00 PM
TV recording on 3sat on July 27 at 8:15 PM

July 26: "Tannhäuser"

Tobias Kratzer's acclaimed production of "Tannhäuser" will be performed for the last time at Bayreuth. Nathalie Stutzmann, a renowned contralto, will conduct, and Klaus Florian Vogt will reprise his role as Tannhäuser. Irene Roberts makes her debut as Venus.
Delayed radio broadcast at 6:05 PM, including the ARD Radio Festival

July 28: "Das Rheingold"

Simone Young, making her Bayreuth debut, will be the first woman to conduct Wagner's "Ring Cycle" at the festival. Performers include Tomasz Konieczny (Wotan) and Okka von der Damerau (Erda). Valentin Schwarz directs this "Ring" production.
Live radio broadcast at 5:57 PM

July 29: "Die Walküre"

American tenor Michael Spyres debuts at Bayreuth as Siegmund in "Die Walküre." The cast also includes Vida Miknevičiūtė as Sieglinde and Simone Young as the conductor.
Delayed radio broadcast at 6:05 PM

July 31: "Siegfried"

Klaus Florian Vogt, a Bayreuth veteran, performs his first Siegfried. Catherine Foster sings Brünnhilde, with Simone Young conducting.
Delayed radio broadcast at 6:05 PM

August 1: "Der fliegende Holländer"

Dmitri Tcherniakov’s interesting take on "Der fliegende Holländer" is back, featuring Michael Volle in the title role and Elisabeth Teige as Senta, conducted by Oksana Lyniv.
Live radio broadcast at 5:57 PM

August 2: "Götterdämmerung"

The "Ring" concludes with "Götterdämmerung," conducted by Simone Young. Gabriela Scherer debuts as Gutrune, with Catherine Foster performing Brünnhilde.
Delayed radio broadcast at 6:05 PM

The Future: Bayreuth 2025

2025: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

In 2025 there will be a new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
Stage director: Matthias Davids
Conductor: Daniele Gatti
Hans Sachs: Georg Zeppenfeld
Eva: Christina Nilsson
Walther von Stolzing: Michael Spyres

Christan Thielemann will return to the Bayreuth Festival to conduct Yuval Sharon's production of "Lohengrin." The production will return to the schedule of the Richard Wagner Festival in 2025 after a two-year hiatus.
Piotr Beczala is Lohengrin and Miina-Liisa Värelä is Ortrud.

2025 will be the last year of Valentin Schwarz' production of Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Revivals of Jay Scheib's production of Parsifal and Thorleifur Örn Arnasson's production of Tristan und Isolde.