Peter de Caluwe appointed Salzburg Festival director, eyes new operatic projects

During a ceremony amid ongoing construction at the Festspielhaus, Salzburg officials introduced Peter de Caluwe as the incoming artistic director of the Salzburg Festival, slated to start in the autumn of 2027. The announcement also revealed that the commercial director role will be vacated and advertised, reflecting internal tensions with one outlet interim director. De Caluwe, who led the Brussels opera from 2007 to 2025, spoke of the building works as a chance to discover new performance spaces and to broaden the festival’s programming.

He stressed a commitment to nurturing a new generation of directors and to presenting works that address democratic values without turning productions into overt political statements. The new director also expressed interest in staging operas by Richard Strauss and exploring a future opera about Stefan Zweig, while planning collaborations with the festival’s orchestra and exploring church venues during the main house’s closure.