The Linz State Theatre is getting a new chorus director. Linz native Franz Obermair will take over the position at the start of the 2026/27 season, as announced by artistic director Hermann Schneider on Friday. The 35-year-old succeeds Elena Pierini. The Italian has worked at the theatre since 2018 and, according to the announcement, is returning to her home country.

Franz Obermair

After an engagement as deputy choir director at the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich, Obermair was choir director with conducting duties at the Theater St. Gallen (CH) from 2021 to 2024 and subsequently deputy choir director of the Bavarian State Opera Choir.

The artistic director stated that they had secured the services of a proven expert, Obermair, as choir director for the state theatre. "His roots lie in Upper Austria, and his experience as a choir director, most recently as Second Chorus Director at one of Europe's great opera houses, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, will provide us with valuable and important impetus and enrich our artistic work."

The designated choir director thanked everyone for their trust. As a native of Linz, he said it was something very special to return to the city of his youth and his first musical experiences after several formative years at opera houses abroad. "I am delighted to be able to lead the Linz State Theatre Choir, an ensemble that has impressed me from the very beginning with its high artistic quality and motivation, and I am very much looking forward to working with them."

The Linz State Theatre is one of Austria's largest cultural institutions and the largest theatre in the state of Upper Austria. It has three venues. The main theatre was opened in 1803 as the Provincial Theatre. The Kammerspiele (Chamber Theatre) on the Promenade was added in 1957. In 2013, the State Theatre acquired the Music Theatre at the Volksgarten, which has since hosted opera and operetta, ballet, the newly established musical theatre division, and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz.

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