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Salzburg Festival: Former president has died

The Salzburg Festival is mourning the loss of its former president, Heinrich Wiesmüller. With his passing, the festival has lost "a personality who had a formative influence for decades – quiet, intelligent, and with a naturalness that is rare today," the festival's board of directors declared on Thursday. As the Spängler bank announced, the banker died on Wednesday after a short illness. He was 89 years old.

Heinrich Wiesmüller (1936-2026)

The Salzburg native worked at the festival for over three decades: as a member of the management board (1976-1985), as a consultant (1986-1989), as president (1991-1995), and as a member of the board of trustees (2001-2007). A black flag is flying at the festival hall as a sign of mourning and gratitude for Wiesmüller's work at the festival.

“As his immediate successor as president, I am grateful that he set the course for us,” said Helga Rabl-Stadler, who held the position from 1995 to 2021. “Heinz Wiesmüller was committed to freeing the Salzburg Festival from its dubious reputation as an enclave of the rich and beautiful. He advocated for festival funds to be used to support the development of a vibrant youth scene,” she emphasized.

Wiesmüller shaped the development of Bankhaus Spängler from 1965 to 2015, initially as managing partner, from 1994 as spokesman of the board, from 1998 as chairman of the supervisory board and from 2010 to 2015 as its honorary chairman.

In addition to the Salzburg Festival, the banker was also involved as a board member of the Salzburg Art Association, as a member of the board of trustees of the International Mozarteum Foundation and as a founding member of the International Salzburg Association and the Johann Michael Haydn Society.

Wiesmüller received numerous awards for his services, including the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class, the Grand Decoration of Honour of the State of Salzburg, and the Ring of the City of Salzburg.

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