Intendant Oper Graz
Ulrich Lenz studied Musicology, Theatre Studies and Art History in Munich, Berlin and Milan. He began his theatre career in the 1997/98 season as assistant dramaturge at the Stuttgart State Opera. In the following years he worked as opera dramaturge at Landestheater Linz and Nationaltheater Mannheim, and from 2006 to 2011 he was Chief Dramaturge at the Hanover State Opera. As Chief Dramaturge of the Komische Oper Berlin, he played a key role in shaping the theatre’s programme from 2012 to 2022 as part of Barrie Kosky’s team.
At Komische Oper Berlin, Ulrich Lenz was responsible for the opening production of the “Monteverdi trilogy”, which was broadcast live on 3sat, and the Mozart opera “The Magic Flute”, created together with the English theatre group 1927, which has been performed at numerous international opera houses since its première in Berlin in 2012.
Guest engagements as a production dramaturge brought Ulrich Lenz to the Aalto Theatre in Essen (Wagner’s “Twilight of the Gods”), the English National Opera (“Castor and Pollux” by Rameau), the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (“The Nose” by Shostakovich) and the Bayreuth Festival (Wagner’s “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg”), among others. He has worked with composers such as Olga Neuwirth, Elena Kats-Chernin, Moritz Eggert and Iiro Rantala, with directors such as Stefan Herheim, Lydia Steier, Tobias Kratzer, Matthias Davids, Philipp Himmelmann, and Evgeny Titov and with conductors such as Adam Fischer, Ivan Fischer, Vladimir Jurowski, Dennis Russell Davies, Axel Kober, and Philip Jordan.
Ulrich Lenz has written libretti for new music theatre works and has translated foreign-language operas into German. He is also the co-editor of numerous academic books on the topics of inter-culture in the cultural sector, operetta and music theatre for children.
Ulrich Lenz has been Managing Director of Oper Graz since the 2023/24 season and has played a key role in the redesign of the RING AWARD. He has been active on its Board of Directors and jury since 2024.
Photo (c) shooted