A Cultural Sensation

Karin Bergmann Takes Over the Salzburg Festival

Karin Bergmann also stepped in at short notice as director at the Burgtheater—after a man had to leave the post prematurely.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

The Salzburg Festival is getting its first female artistic director: Former Burgtheater director Karin Bergmann is stepping in on an interim basis for Markus Hinterhäuser, who stepped down following unpleasant disputes. The decision to appoint the first female artistic director was made unanimously by the festival’s board of trustees. 

It is a decision that is memorable in many ways. The woman now taking the helm of the Salzburg Festival is, of all people, the very person who—at least indirectly—set in motion Markus Hinterhäuser’s departure as artistic director in Salzburg. For this departure was sparked by the process of filling the festival’s acting director position. In January, Hinterhäuser had publicly spoken out in the media in favor of Karin Bergmann as Salzburg’s new head of drama—in parallel to an official application process in which Bergmann had not participated.

This move caused anger among the festival’s board of trustees. Its chairwoman, Governor Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), subsequently issued the artistic director a “yellow card,” citing a violation of a “good conduct clause” enshrined in Hinterhäuser’s contract. The dispute escalated until Hinterhäuser was placed on leave with immediate effect before Easter. Karin Bergmann has been appointed with immediate effect for the 2026 and 2027 festival seasons.

“I am taking on this role with great respect for the responsibility involved and with deep appreciation for Markus Hinterhäuser’s artistic achievements,” says Bergmann. “Now, to my own surprise, I am also taking on the responsibility of interim artistic director of the Salzburg Festival. I will carry out this task in my own way and drawing on my own experience, but at the same time with great respect for the artistic profile that the Salzburg Festival has established in recent years,” says the interim artistic director. She emphasizes that diligence, reliability, and a culture of dignity, respect, and trust are particularly important to her.

More Than Just a Stand-In
With Karin Bergmann, an experienced stand-in is taking over the festival, which has fallen into chaos. Back in 2014, she stepped in on an interim basis—and just as suddenly—to lead the Vienna Burgtheater after its director, Matthias Hartmann, was fired due to a financial scandal. She mastered the task with flying colors, both artistically and administratively. 

At the helm of the Salzburg Festival, she is now the first woman to serve as artistic director, just as she was at the Burgtheater. Taking over cultural institutions in crisis and managing and completing programs that were already (half) finished by her predecessors is, therefore, something of a specialty of hers.

Top Manager with Empathy
Salzburg’s Governor Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) commented on the decision: “With Karin Bergmann, we have secured an accomplished cultural manager for the interim directorship. She is not only a figure of outstanding artistic excellence but also a top manager who, with empathy, insight into human nature, and extensive experience, will set the course for the future with sensitivity yet determination.”

Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Culture Andreas Babler also showers Bergmann with praise: “Bergmann has demonstrated both artistic and business brilliance at the Burgtheater. As a close confidante of the late Claus Peymann, she is also a seasoned and deeply credible figure in political debates regarding artistic freedom. With this unique blend of qualities, she will certainly be a boon to the Salzburg Festival.”

Karin Bergmann was born in Recklinghausen, Germany, in 1953. In 1986, she joined the Burgtheater in Vienna as press spokesperson for Director Claus Peymann; in 1999, Klaus Bachler appointed her deputy director. When his successor, Matthias Hartmann, was forced to step down following the 2014 financial scandal, Bergmann was first appointed on an interim basis for two seasons and subsequently as the permanent director. Bergmann left the Burgtheater at the end of the 2018/2019 season. Since 2022, she has headed the drama and literature departments of the Salzkammergut Festwochen Gmunden.

Winding things up and fostering peace
At the Salzburg Festival, she faces multiple challenges. The festival begins in just over three months and is still programmed by Hinterhäuser. However, Bergmann will not only have to manage the transition but, as a troubleshooter, make countless minor adjustments. At the same time, time is pressing to finalize plans for the 2027 festival summer; the program for that must be in place by fall. To this end, she must bring calm to an organization that has recently been in the headlines.

The formal call for applications for the permanent artistic directorship starting in fall 2027 and the presidency starting in January 2027 is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.