Peter de Caluwe Named Salzburg Festival Intendant After Turbulent Search
On September 16, 2023, the Kuratorium of the Salzburg Festival announced Peter de Caluwe as the new Intendant, ending a contentious succession process. A formal introduction is scheduled for Friday. Born in Belgium in 1963, de Caluwe will take over from interim Intendant Karin Bergmann after the 2027 Festival. He has been with La Monnaie since 1986, serving as General and Artistic Director from 2007 until 2025. This appointment follows Markus Hinterhäuser's sudden exit after his tenure that began in 2016; he has been on leave until September 30, 2026, due to conflicts. The position attracted 21 applicants, but efforts for shared leadership fell through. De Caluwe will revert Salzburg to a single-Intendant system while managing significant renovations at the Festspielhaus.
Key facts
- Peter de Caluwe was confirmed as Salzburg Festival Intendant by the Kuratorium on Wednesday, September 16.
- He is expected to take over after the 2027 Festival, succeeding interim Intendant Karin Bergmann.
- De Caluwe was born in Belgium in 1963 and began his career at La Monnaie in Brussels in 1986.
- He served as General and Artistic Director of La Monnaie from 2007 until 2025.
- Markus Hinterhäuser led the Festival since 2016 and received a term in April 2024 intended to extend to 2031.
- The Festival announced in March that Hinterhäuser would leave immediately over "irreconcilable differences of opinion"; he is on leave until September 30, 2026.
- The permanent Intendancy drew 21 applications—17 from men and four from women, about 90 per cent from outside Austria.
- Negotiations over a joint leadership by Barrie Kosky and Sophie de Lint collapsed on Tuesday evening, according to Austrian media reports.
Entities
Artists
- Peter de Caluwe
- Markus Hinterhäuser
- Karin Bergmann
- Barrie Kosky
- Sophie de Lint
- Gérard Mortier
- Alexander Pereira
- Herbert von Karajan
- Marina Davydova
- Peter Handke
- Elfriede Jelinek
- Kristina Hammer
Institutions
- Salzburg Festival
- La Monnaie
- Dutch National Opera
- Komische Oper Berlin
- Burgtheater
- Festspielhaus
- Moto Perpetuo
Locations
- Salzburg
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brussels
- Australia
- Netherlands