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Barbara Hannigan in a recent interview.

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Elena Tzavara will become the artistic director of the Mannheim Opera

Elena Tzavara, the general director of the Aachen Theatre, will become the new opera director at the National Theatre Mannheim (NTM) in 2028. The theatre announced this on Wednesday. The 48-year-old will succeed Albrecht Puhlmann, who has headed the opera division since 2016. Her initial contract is for five years. The city council has approved her appointment.

Elena Tzavara

The Hamburg native is "a highly experienced opera director and theater manager with artistic excellence and international experience," said Mannheim's Mayor Christian Specht (CDU). "She has a clear vision of how opera can reach new audiences and engage with the city's community." The managing director of the NTM, Tilmann Pröllochs, stated that he was certain the opera department would maintain its high standards of quality under Tzavara's leadership.

Tzavara studied musical theatre direction at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. She has directed at, among others, the National Theatre Weimar, the Greek National Opera, the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, the Cologne Opera, and the Salzburg Festival. From 2009 to 2013, she directed the Cologne Children's Opera. Subsequently, she was responsible for the "Music in the City's Houses" and "Literature in the City's Houses" festivals in Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, and Munich. From 2017, she served as Artistic Director of the Young Opera at the Stuttgart State Opera before becoming General Director of the Aachen Theatre in 2023.

Tzavara said it was "a joy, an honor, and an obligation all at once" to be able to help shape the future of the National Theatre Mannheim. The theatre is one of Germany's most influential cultural institutions, with an extraordinary history and enormous artistic influence.

The National Theatre Mannheim was originally built in 1777. After its destruction in World War II, a new building opened in 1957. This building has been undergoing extensive renovations since August 2022. Current plans call for the work to last until the 2028/29 season. The estimated cost is just under €310 million.

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