Concerto Köln will have a new managing director, Ulrike Shapiro. The cultural manager will take over the position on June 1, 2026, as announced by the PR agency Ophelias Culture on Monday. Shapiro succeeds Fiona Stevens, who served as managing director from October 2021 to September 2024. Stefan Gawlick has held the position on an interim basis since then.

Ulrike Shapiro

"With Shapiro, we are gaining a managing director who combines artistic understanding, international experience, economic competence and strategic vision," explained the ensemble's artistic director, Hannah Freienstein.

Born in Celle, Lower Saxony, Shapiro has held leading positions in the USA for more than 30 years. From 1996 to 2004, she worked for the Opera Company of Philadelphia. In 2006, she became Managing Director of the Baroque orchestra Tempesta di Mare in Philadelphia, which promoted her to CEO in 2022.

Shapiro studied singing at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. As an assistant director, she has worked on numerous productions, including at Opera Philadelphia, Glimmerglass Opera, Montreal Opera, and Opera Monte Carlo.

The designated managing director explained that Concerto Köln represents a vibrant and internationally renowned early music practice that has long inspired her. She is very much looking forward to continuing the successful path the ensemble has been following for many years, together with the musicians, the team, and the partners, "developing new perspectives and continually inspiring a loyal and new audience with the ensemble's music," said Shapiro.

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