Kerem Hasan will become the new General Music Director at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. The 34-year-old will take up the post starting with the 2027/28 season, the theater announced on Thursday. The Briton will succeed Georg Fritzsch, who has held the position since 2020.

Contract signing Kerem Hasan

Hasan stood out from the final group of candidates due to his great artistic talent and met with unusually broad approval within the theater, said Artistic Director Christian Firmbach. "His immediately contagious love of music and his creativity will help us to lead the Baden State Orchestra and the Baden State Theater into a new future, even in financially and renovation-related challenging times – and sometimes by unconventional means," he emphasized.

Born in London, Hasan studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Zurich University of the Arts. Engagements have taken him to, among others, the English National Opera, the Welsh National Opera, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and the Dresden Philharmonic. From 2019 to 2023, he served as Chief Conductor of the Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck. Since 2025, he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Noord Nederlands Orkest.

He is looking forward to working with the Baden State Orchestra, the opera ensemble, the choir, and all staff members to shape the artistic work of the Baden State Theatre in all its diversity. "Together, we will build on the great traditions of this theatre while simultaneously finding new ways to reach and inspire our audiences in Karlsruhe and beyond."

The Baden State Theatre has been undergoing renovation and expansion since October 2022 while remaining open for business. The first of three construction phases is scheduled to last until 2027, with complete completion planned for 2034. The total cost of more than 500 million euros is being shared equally by the city of Karlsruhe and the state of Baden-Württemberg.

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